Winter-plan checklist for residential aged care provider

Have you undertaken an updated risk-assessment of the local COVID-19/influenza risk for your service and how this may impact your outbreak management?

Have you recently updated your outbreak management plan and tested it through a series of scenario-based activities?

Are all staff aware of the plan, how to access it, and their roles and responsibilities?

Have all staff been trained in all aspects of outbreak identification, management, and IPC, including refresher training if required?

Have you provided resident’s families with information regarding strategies to minimise the risk of introduction and transmission of COVID-19 and influenza?

Have you organised a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for residents, including winter booster doses?

Have you offered influenza vaccination to all staff and volunteers and taken steps to encourage vaccination (including COVID-19 vaccination) as an important protection?

Do all residents have access to an influenza vaccine through a primary care or other vaccination provider?

Do you have an adequate supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Rapid Antigen Tests to ensure you can enact a quick and effective response?

Have you received your winter pack of PPE from the National Medical Stockpile?

Have you undertaken detailed workforce management planning, including considering how you will source additional workforce (if required)?

Does this include how you will cohort/zone staff (as required)?

Do you know the COVID-19 and/or influenza vaccination status of all residents and staff?

Have you undertaken preparatory steps to enable timely access to COVID-19 and/or Influenza antiviral treatments if required and appropriate, including determining resident views on treatments?

Do you have a communication plan in place, informed by National COVID-19 Residential Aged Care Emergency Communication Guide?

Does this include a plan for communicating with staff, residents, volunteers and family members during an outbreak?

Have you undertaken steps to ensure visitation can continue to be safely facilitated in the event of an outbreak (e.g. establishing Partnerships in Care)?

Are you routinely assessing and/or testing residents for COVID-19 and influenza symptoms, and documenting as required?

Do you have pathways for accessing general practitioners and pathology testing if required, including through Primary Health Network or your local Public Health Unit?

Have you clearly identified how you will maintain resident physical, social, mental and emotional wellbeing during an outbreak? For example, continued access to visitation, primary care and allied health services?

Do you understand the different types of supports available for an outbreak of COVID19 compared to influenza (or both concurrently)?

Are you undertaking testing and isolation for symptomatic residents? How is this different between potential COVID-19 and influenza infection?

Are you continuing to screen staff and visitors on entry, including the use of RATs?

Is your response tailored to the type of outbreak? (i.e. COVID-19, influenza, both or other respiratory viruses)

Are resources such as PPE, RATs and antivirals (both COVID-19 and influenza) accessible and being used appropriately?

Are you keeping track of PPE use and placing orders through commercial suppliers to replenish stock?

Are stringent IPC practices in-place, with on-the-ground leadership driven by your facility’s IPC Lead?

Are back-up supports in place for your IPC Lead (e.g. additional staff highly trained in IPC) in case they need to isolate during an outbreak?

Have you enacted your communication plan?

Have you enacted your workforce plan, including zoning of staff and sourcing additional workforce if required?

Are you taking steps to ensure that resident physical, social, mental and emotional wellbeing is being maintained? For example, continued access to visitation, primary care and allied health services?

Have you considered accessing supports available through the department for an outbreak of COVID19 and/or influenza?

Do you have a ‘lessons learned’ process in place to review your outbreak response and identify areas for improvement?

Have you identified grief, trauma and/or mental health supports to assist residents and staff to recover from the impacts of outbreaks?

Have you got plans in place to enable reablement of any resident experiencing deconditioning following an outbreak?

Do you understand how to seek potential reimbursement of outbreak costs through the COVID 19 Aged Care Support Program Extension Grant?

Are you facilitating increased re-entry of visitors and volunteers, in-line with the Industry Code for Visiting in Aged Care Homes?