What are the vaccination requirements for in-home and community aged care and disability support workers?

From 30 November 2021, in-home and community aged care and disability support workers must have:

• Received at least one dose of a TGA approved or recognised COVID-19 vaccination; and
• Received, or have evidence of a booking to receive, a second dose of a TGA approved COVID-19 vaccine within the interval after the first dose recommended by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) for that COVID-19 vaccine Provided the operator of the health care setting with proof of their vaccination status upon request; and
• From 29 January 2022, within the prescribed time, the person receives a third dose (booster) of a TGA approved COVID-19 vaccine or has evidence of a booking to receive a COVID-19 booster shot.

What does a prescribed time mean?

Prescribed time means:

• for a person who has been infected with COVID-19, within 4 months of their first positive COVID-19 test, or within 4 months of their second dose of a TGA approved or recognised COVID-19 vaccine, whichever is later; and
• for any other person, within 4 months of their second dose of a TGA approved or recognised COVID-19.

Which workers in in-home and community aged care sector are required to be vaccinated?

In-home and community aged care worker is a person providing in-home and community aged care services to another person in person for or on behalf of a responsible provider;

In-home and community aged care services means the following services under the Aged Care Act 1997 (Cth) or the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 (Cth) and programs delivered by the Australian Government Department of Health:

• Home Care Packages
• Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP)
• National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program home care services
• Short-Term Restorative Care
• Transition Care Program
• Multi-Purposes Services

Which workers in disability support are required to be vaccinated?

The vaccination requirement is for disability support workers whose role means they are involved with:

• assistance with daily life tasks in a group or shared living arrangement
• group and centre based activities
• specialised supported employment
• assistance with daily personal activities
• community nursing care
• therapeutic supports.

Are there any exemptions for workers in the In-home and Community Aged Care and Disability Support sector?

An In-home and Community Aged Care and Disability Support worker is not required to have evidence of a COVID-19 vaccination if they have a medical certificate or a letter from a legally qualified medical practitioner certifying that the person:

• Has a medical exemption from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine on either a permanent or temporary basis in accordance with guidelines published by ATAGI (Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation).
• Has a medical exemption on either a permanent or temporary basis from receiving the preferred vaccine as recommended by ATAGI for the person’s age.
• Has an appointment to be assessed by a medical specialist or has started an assessment to determine if they have a medical exemption
• Is currently taking part in a COVID-19 vaccine trial and the receipt of another available vaccine would impact the validity of the trial.
• The certificate or letter specifies the nature of the exemption and the basis on which it applies;
• The Chief Public Health Officer or her delegate has endorsed the exemption, and
• The person provides the operator of the healthcare setting with a copy of the endorsement.