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Covid-19 Information

At Lighthouse Disability, we are continuing to closely monitor and respond to all State and Federal Government guidelines and directives in relation to COVID-19. The health and wellbeing of our clients and staff is our number one priority and we thank everyone involved in this, for their ongoing support and cooperation with the things that have helped keep us safe and well during the pandemic.

New Direction under the Emergency Management Act

At Lighthouse Disability, we are continuing to closely monitor and respond to all State and Federal Government guidelines and directives in relation to COVID-19.  On 8 November 2021 a new Emergency Management Direction came into effect in South Australia. The Direction mandates that disability support workers along with in-home and community aged care workers must have:

  • Received their first dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine by 30 November 2021 and
  • Received, or have a booking to receive, their second dose within the recommended timeframe.

This latest Direction followed on from an earlier Direction issued in late October which also impacted disability workers when supporting clients to attend various healthcare settings including their GP, outpatient appointments in hospital settings, in ambulances and when visiting Emergency Departments, as well as going to the pharmacy on behalf of a client.
 
The Direction was implemented in a phased approach and requires our workers to show proof of their COVID-19 vaccination status when attending a healthcare setting, as part of their duties as Community Support Worker (CSW) with Lighthouse Disability.
 
From 1 November 2021 healthcare settings included:

  • public hospital
  • private hospital
  • ambulance services (including patient transport ambulance services)

From 8 November 2021 healthcare settings also included:

  • GP clinics
  • Dental clinics
  • Private nurse offices
  • Pharmacies
  • Specialist outpatient facilities e.g. art or music therapy, dietetics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry, psychology, social; work, speech pathology
  • Private pathology centres
  • Private radiology centres
  • Aboriginal health services

Here is a link to the Direction:
Emergency Management (COVID-19) (Healthcare Setting Workers Vaccination No 2) Direction 2021
 
In view of these two Directions, Lighthouse Disability is requiring all staff and volunteers to provide evidence of their vaccination status to enable us to roster and deploy staff resources appropriately. From 30 November, a Community Support Worker must have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and have evidence of booking to receive a second dose. If a Community Support Worker cannot evidence this vaccination status, they will not be able to perform their duties and will not be rostered to work.

The State Government has released South Australia’s COVID-Ready Plan, outlining the safe easing of restrictions from 23 November 2021 and how COVID-19 will be managed in South Australia. The plan details the lifting of borders once the state reaches the milestones of 80 per cent and then lifting further restrictions on activities when 90 per cent of South Australians are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. We are awaiting further information from SA Health and the Department of Human Service (DHS), which will include a detailed plan about COVID-19 management strategies for disability service providers after 23 November 2021, as we move towards a position of living with COVID-19 in the longer term.
 
The Australian Government has announced that boosters are now available for people 18 years or older who received their second dose of COVID-19 vaccination more than six months ago, including people with disability living in shared accommodation settings. As we did with the initial roll-out of vaccines to Lighthouse Disability clients, we will work closely with the National COVID-19 Vaccine Taskforce on the process for site visits to complete the booster program. We anticipate this will commence mid-December.
 
We will keep you updated with further information on COVID-19 management in disability services as it becomes available.

Masks are to remain mandatory in:

  • High-risk settings such as healthcare (including aged care and disability services), public transport, passenger transport and personal care environments (e.g. hairdresser), and in theatres and cinemas.
  • Indoor public places where face to face interaction takes place (e.g. supermarkets, shopping centres etc.).

All Lighthouse Disability employees are required to wear face masks at all times in client homes and when supporting clients on community outings.

Masks are also strongly recommended for indoor workplaces, particularly in common areas where social distancing is difficult to maintain such as meeting rooms, tea rooms and lifts. All Park Terrace staff will continue to wear face masks at all times in common areas, meeting rooms and when social distancing cannot be maintained.  

** The Premier has advised that mask wearing is likely to apply for the foreseeable future due to the heightened risk posed by the Delta strain of COVID-19 which is airborne and highly transmissible. 

Maintaining COVID-19 measures

All of the COVID-19 measures we’ve become quite accustomed to continue to be extremely important and must be kept in place.

Please do not become complacent about the how important these measures are.To protect yourself and others and help stop the spread of COVID-19:

  • Physical distance – stay 1.5 metres apart whenever and wherever you can
  • Stay away from people who have respiratory infections
  • Practice good hand hygiene at all times
  • Cover coughs and sneezes – use tissues and dispose in the bin
  • Frequently wipe down hard surfaces with disinfectant wipes
  • Stay at home if you are unwell
  • Get tested for COVID-19 as soon as symptoms appear, no matter how mild
  • Scan QR codes
  • GET VACCINATED – this is strongly encouraged

Travel advice – to and from South Australia  

With concerning outbreaks of the Delta variant of COVID-19 across Australia, it is important that you keep up to date with current border restrictions, if you are planning to travel interstate or returning to SA.  

Please refer to the interstate contact tracing and exposure locations page of the SA Health website for information about travel restrictions, testing and quarantine advice for states and territories across Australia.

Contacts and Other Support

We understand that it is a challenging time and want to support your physical and mental health and wellbeing. If you need additional support at this time, please contact your Manager, Service Delivery or the other services below:

Access Programs (Lighthouse Disability's Employee Assistance Program)
1800 66 77 00
www.accessprograms.com.au

Beyond Blue
1300 22 4636
www.beyondblue.org.au/

Keeping you updated 

Lighthouse Disability will continue to provide updated information via email, postal mail, our website and through your Manager, Service Delivery. Please don’t hesitate to contact your Manager, Service Delivery if you have any questions.

Further infomration 

The South Australian COVID-19 Information Line (1800 253 787) operates from 8am-8pm, seven days a week. 

The Australian Government Department of Health website provides general information on COVID-19 and you can find resources about the ‘Stop the Spread’ campaign on the SA Health website here.

You can also phone the National Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080. This service runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you require translating or interpreting services, call 131 450. More information can be found at the Australian Government Department of Health website here.

Find out about COVID-19 testing, including testing site locations, visit the SA Health website here.  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

The National Disability Insurance Scheme has a full directory of FAQ’s that are updated daily. You can find answers to commonly asked questions below.

www.ndis.gov.au/coronavirus

You can also find go to the NDIS Commission COVID-19 information page for links to updates, training, alerts and resources for NDIS participants and providers. 

 

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