Purpose
This document is designed to provide an easy-to-read outline of the practices Skilled for life Services and its representatives will engage in to ensure that we minimise and manage the risks associated with supporting participants as they engage our support services.
Design process
This document was created with input from participants and their representatives, our employees and other organisations that we work with regularly. Additionally, care was taken to ensure that we met the requirements of the relevant legislation and any Government directives or relevant NSW Health advice
Infection control procedures
The following infection control procedures are in place to minimise the possibility of infection transmission. We aim to adopt the principles of the Swiss Cheese Respiratory Pandemic Défense approach shown below:
The following are an account of the specific interventions we are applying.
- Communicating Information
- SMS health screen messages are sent to each participant the morning of a scheduled service to confirm that both the S4L team and participant are well enough to attend, including being free of the symptoms of COVID-19.
- Changes to procedures and policies regarding infection control are communicated in a direct and timely manner to participants and S4L team.
- Instances of infection, close and casual contact status will be communicated immediately to those directly impacted while maintaining the privacy of those involved.
- Information regarding vaccination and infection status is only communicated:
- with the consent of the persons whose health information is to be shared
- with a clear explanation of why it is necessary and how it will be shared
- with the most essential detail to address the purpose of sharing it
- Our COVID-safe plan is registered with NSW Health and freely available on our website, skilled4life.com.au
- Social Distancing
- Wherever possible, if services can be delivered via telehealth, they will be offered as such until at least the 80% full vaccination target is reached in NSW. This option will be extended to participants for as long as they request it following the target being reached.
- When delivering in-person services, social distancing of 1.5 metres will attempt to be maintained between the S4L team member, the participant and other members of the household they are providing services at.
- Where the participant is unable to maintain social distancing while receiving in-person services, the S4L team member will maintain all other infection control procedures.
- Hand washing
- All Skilled for life services team members are encouraged to wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds whenever that is available to them instead of hand sanitiser, including hands and forearms.
- All team members carry with them personal hand sanitiser for cleaning their hands when soap and water is not easily available.
- Skilled for life services team members are expected to wash their hands in the following circumstances:
- Before and after providing services to participants
- Before, during, and after preparing food
- Before and after eating food
- Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea
- Before and after treating a cut or wound
- After using the toilet
- After changing nappies or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing into your hand or a tissue.
- After assisting someone else to blow their nose, cough, or sneeze into their hand or a tissue.
- After touching or disposing of used PPE
- After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
- After touching garbage
- Before entering a different setting, e.g., outdoors to indoors, day-care to car, car to home.
- Cleaning
- Areas where Skilled for life services team members are expected to provide services should be clean and sanitised as much as is reasonable.
- All Skilled for life services team members will have access to their own disposable, antibacterial surface wipes to clean with.
- Teaching materials, reinforcers and teaching areas will be wiped down as necessary during the provision of services.
- Any items that have been mouthed, coughed or sneezed on by a participant should be set aside for cleaning with warm soapy water if possible or otherwise cleaned with a surface wipe, before access to the item is provided to others.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- All Skilled for life services team members are required to:
- Wear masks when engaging in the delivery of services unless otherwise directed by Skilled for life services.
- Wear gloves, face shields, goggles or aprons if the specifics of their support services require it.
- Any Skilled for life services team member who does not have adequate PPE to conduct services is suspended until they can be acquired.
- All PPE can be purchased directly by the Skilled for life services team member and reimbursed by the Skilled for life services office or requested from the Skilled for life services office directly.
- Routine checks are made to ensure that S4L team members are carrying the appropriate PPE with them.
- Vaccination Status
- Our organisation acknowledges that all participants and Skilled for life services team members have the right to choose whether to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
- Owing to the nature of service delivery and the support services provided, all Skilled for life services team members are encouraged and supported to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
- Participants and Skilled for life services team members reserve the right to approve or decline to share their vaccination status, on the understanding that failing to do so may inhibit their ability to provide specific services or work in certain settings.
- Declining to share evidence of vaccination status will be considered equivalent to being unvaccinated when conducting risk assessments.
- Contact Tracing
- We require all Skilled for life services team members to follow check-in guidelines while in the community both in and outside of work hours.
- All support service appointments are accounted for in terms of address, duration and date provided, including changes, via our:
- scheduling system
- GPS tracking software
- Managing Identified Exposures
- If a participant identifies that they may have been exposed to a COVID-19 infection they will:
- Suspend scheduled services immediately and contact the Skilled for life services office to communicate the severity of the potential risk.
- Self-isolate at home and get tested as per the requirements of NSW Health.
- Provide evidence of negative tests once self-isolation is completed or wait 14 days from the last exposure before returning to receive services.
- If an S4L team member identifies that they may have been exposed to a COVID-19 infection they will:
- Cease participant contact immediately and contact the Skilled for life services office to communicate the severity of the potential risk.
- Self-isolate at home and get tested as per the requirements of NSW Health.
- Provide evidence of negative tests once any self-isolation is completed.
- In all cases where an Skilled for life services team member or participant has tested positive for COVID-19 or been identified as a close contact then the S4L office will use our contract tracing information to identify and contact any participants, organisations and S4L team members who would be considered close and casual contacts.
- When making contact, the following information will be provided:
- their potential level of exposure, e.g., close or casual contact
- the date and time period that they were potentially exposed
- directions to the relevant NSW Health guidelines
We greatly appreciate the need to keep everyone we interact with safe. We are thankful to all those participants, families and organisations that we collaborate with who are taking measures to keep each other well during the course of this pandemic. We look forward to all those efforts contributing to a safer learning environment and community for all.
If you have any queries regarding the content of this plan, please contact our office on 0403 092 775
or via email info@skilled4life.com.au
Kind regards
Hitarthi Shah and Minal Buch
Directors – skilled for life services.