Image by digital designer from Pixabay

Due to the increasing threat of a “second wave” of Covid-19 on the rise from Victoria’s hot spots and now small hotspots in area’s of NSW Accuro Homecare’s infection control procedures have been reviewed with resulting amendments. Additional advice from health authorities has also resulted in these amendments. These Amendments will take place as of Wednesday 22^nd of July.

For the protection of Clients, our Direct Support Workers and the Community as a whole we must request the following compliance from all of our valued clients and our Direct Support Workers.

1. Transports, shopping, social support (any service where a client requires to be in a Direct Support Workers vehicle):

• Direct Support Workers must sanitise their hands with supplied sanitiser spray, rub or wipes before entering the car.
• Clients are to be encouraged to sanitise their hands also before entering the vehicle. This is not mandatory as clients may have skin conditions, allergies etc and choice and control for the client over their services must be maintained.
• A face mask must be worn by the Direct Support Worker and any clients and anyone else that is also going to be present in the car before entering the car.
• Direct Support Workers must wear the face mask for the entire service, this includes the transport to a venue, time spent at the venue, transport from the venue.
• Clients are to be encouraged to wear the mask for the entire service also although they can refuse to wear the mask for the part of the service that is outside of the vehicle. In this case the mask worn by the client in the vehicle whilst travelling to the venue must be discarded in a rubbish bag or similar and a second one supplied for the transport from the venue. There are obvious advantages of keeping the mask on for the entire service and Accuro Homecare encourages this strongly.
• If a Direct Support Worker cannot wear a face mask due to any circumstance such as driving glasses fog up, they will no longer be able to provide transport services. Replacement workers will be found for client’s services in these circumstances.
• The client is required to sit on the passenger side rear seat unless unable to do so.
• It is recommended to our Direct Support Workers to sanitise their vehicles after each transport service.

2. Personal Care and close contact services:

• All services that require the Direct Support Worker and the client to be within 1.5 metres of each other (such as personal care, mobility assistance etc) determine that both the Direct Support Worker and the Client must wear a face mask for the period of time that they are in “close contact”.
• If there is the risk of the mask worn by the client will get wet during showering or bathing, they can remove the mask for this part of the service. A mask must then be reimplemented once the risk of getting the mask wet is passed and if there will still be close contact.
• All other infection control procedures and PPE as advised previous to this policy directive are still current.

3. Additional screening question clients will be asked by Direct Support Workers when visiting clients:

• “Have you or anyone you have been in contact with visited the area between South Western Sydney or Wollongong in the last 14 days?” If you answer yes to this question the Direct Support Worker will be required to call Accuro Homecare Head Office for instructions. It is most likely that the Direct Support Worker can provide you with a service whilst wearing full personal protective equipment kit.