COVID -19 is a notifiable condition under the Australian National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). This means that in all Australian states and territories, either the medical officer requesting the test and/or the laboratory performing the test, are responsible for notifying the relevant jurisdictional public health authority of the case of COVID-19, as per local legislative requirements.
The primary responsibility of managing COVID-19 outbreaks lies with the RCF, within their responsibilities for resident care and infection control. All RCF should have in-house (or access to) infection control expertise, and outbreak management plans in place.
The primary responsibility of managing COVID-19 outbreaks lies with the RCF, within their responsibilities for resident care and infection control. All RCF should have in-house (or access to) infection control expertise, and outbreak management plans in place.
RCFs are required to:
The relevant state/territory Department of Health will act in an advisory role to assist RCF to detect, characterise and manage COVID-19 outbreaks. This includes:
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (the Commission) is the national regulator of aged care services. It takes a proportionate risk-based approach in responding to the COVID-19 situation. The role of the Commission is to:
Read the full guidelines here: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidelines for Outbreaks in Residential Care Facilities in Australia