Cold and influenza (flu) season is here and aged care organisations across Australia are preparing to further heighten security measures with access to their aged care facilities. This forms part of their requirement to comply with the Aged Care Quality Standards and goes beyond the existing work health and safety precautions that have been in force around the world protecting patients from COVID-19.
In 2017 it became mandatory for aged care workers to ensure their annual Influenza vaccination compliance. As influenza remains a common cause of hospitalisation and death in Australia, The Australian Government is extending this compliance to everyone that comes into contact with an aged care facility as of today, May 1st 2020.
What you need to know
All individuals, whether contractors, workers or visitors that attend the aged care facility site will be required to provide flu immunisation evidence of having had a recent flu vaccination. This applies to all healthy people aged over six months. With the existing health and safety precautions that are being followed with COVID-19 minimisation it is critical that all those visiting an aged care facility are aware of their responsibility to protect themselves and others around them.
The Australian Government has invested more than $80 million to provide more free vaccines under the National Immunisation Program in 2020 than ever before, including a new quadrivalent vaccine Fluad Quad® for those aged 65 and over.
Kineo’s new Cold and Flu Prevention course developed with UniSA is also useful in providing knowledge around what to look for when identifying the differences between having a bad cold and Influenza. Also, how learners can reduce the spread of colds and flu, and what to do if you have the cold or the flu.
Solving the challenge of evidence-based record keeping
As an aged care provider with facilities to manage and many people needing access, what is your process for managing the verification of documentation that supports this new flu vaccination ruling that needs to encompass everyone that comes into your facility? How will you manage those without evidence that want to visit loved ones and have travelled some distance to do so?
INX Sitepass can assist you with this challenge. We appreciate it may affect hundreds of individuals a day with all manner of services needing access to the site. INX Sitepass’ visitor management system offers a digital visitor management book. The facility enables our clients to upload vaccine documentation as part of this process. INX Sitepass has helped several aged care clients with this very challenge and the feature can be set up on the Sitepass quickly. Minimise confusion or downtime, with a robust compliant solution to ensure the safety of your patients.
Contact us to discuss how this feature can be utilised in INX Sitepass as a workflow along with the delivery of the flu Prevention course to your team, contractors or visitors. Or request a tutorial demonstration.