Blue Care
COVID-19 guidance for Blue Care employees and volunteers
*OUR BLUECARE COVID RESOURCES HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED TO OUR NEW INFECTION PREVENTION & CONTROL PAGE ON SHAREPOINT, ALL NEW UPDATES WILL NOW APPEAR ON OUR SHAREPOINT PAGE THAT YOU CAN ACCESS RIGHT HERE
On this page
Resources
Employee resources
COVID-19 Special Leave Guide - as at 04 January 2022
Return to work checklist & declaration - updated 4 February 2022
Residential resources
PPE
Single Use Masks - requirements, guidance and disposal as at 25 August
Donning and Doffing Training 22 October 2020
PPE donning and doffing guide - poster for use, as at 22 October 2020
PPE Donning and Doffing Assessment Tool 22 October 2020
Generic Text, Scripts and Q&A Templates
Generic positive resident family and staff comms inc text, telephone script, Q&As, telephone script for COVID-positive resident - as at 13 January 2022
Ongoing lockdown family text and Q&As - updated 4 February 2022
Posters
COVID-19 Stay Informed. Be Supportive. Stay Safe. Be Kind. poster, 24 October 2022
Maximum Capacity in Room A3 Poster Updated 2 September 2020
Cough etiquette poster as at 10 September 2020
Social distancing poster as at 10 September 2020
Information/Fact Sheets
Factsheet for new residents Updated 02 March 2022
Guidelines for accepting new admission to residential aged care facility as at 15 February 2022
Reporting Requirements
Support Portal for providers‘ reporting a COVID-19 outbreak or exposure in residential aged care, as at 14 July 2023
COVID-19 Riskman Reporting Requirements - Quick Reference Guide, as at 30 November 2022
Reporting Requirements - updated 21 October 2022
Caring for a Resident with COVID-19
Oral treatments for COVID-19, as at 14 July 2023
COVID-19 Care Pathway as at 18 February 2022
Outbreak Resources
Acute Respiratory Infection Preparedness Planning Checklist, as at 30 November 2022
Lockdown STOP poster - poster for use when facilities in lockdown, as at 23 December 2021
Outbreak Folder Index - as at 20 April 2023
COVID-19 Contingent Registered Staff Orientation Checklist 11 September 2020
COVID-19 Contingent PC Orientation Checklist 11 September 2020
COVID-19 Contingent Hospitality Orientation Checklist 11 September 2020
Outbreak team meeting agenda as at 8 February 2022
Screening Checklists
Entry Screening Checklist Visitors (when QR Code is not available) updated 23 February 2023
Entry Screening Checklist employees, agency staff, volunteers, students and contractors (when QR Code is not available) updated 13 June 2022
Resident Temporary Absence (facility organised excursion) - updated 27 October 2020
Essential Visitor Information
Guide for implementation - updated 06 April 2022
Essential Visitor Process and declaration - updated 12 April 2022
Basic Infection Control - updated 12 April 2022
Letter advising nomination and acceptance - updated 06 April 2022
Resident letter nomination - update 06 April 2022
Vaccination Information
COVID-19 vaccination – COVID-19 vaccines: common questions | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care - as at 3 November 2023 (includes access to translated Information)
COVID-19 vaccination – Easy Read resources | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care - as at 3 November 2023
ATAGI Recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses as at 7 November 2022
Residential aged care facilities are responsible for:
preparing your aged care home and residents for vaccination clinics
obtaining and recording residents’ consent/refusal in RMS
obtaining and recording residents’ receipt of dose in RMS
monitoring and reporting adverse side effects
providing information to your residents and workers
The following tools support this process (attached and links included):
COVID-19 Vaccination Fact Sheet for Residents and Representatives
General Observation Monitoring Tool after COVID 19 vaccine: Vaccine Observation Form.
Other References:
Rapid Antigen Testing
COVID-19 Symptoms poster - as at 24 February 2022
Rapid Antigen Testing indications information poster - as at 24 February 2022
Day centre clients verbal consent to undertake RAT - as at 24 February 2022
Positive RAT result - as at 24 February 2022
RAT Assessment tool - as at 24 February 2022
IPC Leads
All residential aged care facilities must have an ongoing dedicated infection prevention and control (IPC) lead on site. Read all the detailed requirements here.
Training requirements:
All IPC leads must complete our COVID-19 infection control online training modules, specifically
Infection Control Training: COVID-19
All aged care modules, except 2.2 or 9.2 which relate to home care
Foundations of IPC Training
IPC Lead Duty Statement
Community resources
Blue Care Safety Response Matrix
Safety Response Matrix - Aged Care and Community Services
Generic Text, Scripts and Q&A Templates
Guided Phone Conversation Scripts - review consumer priority rating and unexpected cancellation of services - updated 12 January 2022
Notifying community clients of exposure template - as at 13 January 2022
Notifying respite clients of exposure script, Q&A - as at 14 January 2022
Infection Control
Single Use Masks - requirements, guidance and disposal as at 25 August 2020
Training Requirements for COVID-19 Donning and Doffing including Fit Checking as at 2 February 2022
Information Sheet Blue Care Community Services: Caring for a COVID Positive or Suspected client as at 2 February 2022
PPE
PPE donning and doffing guide - poster for use, as at 1 September 2020
Reporting Requirements
Reporting Requirements - updated 29 June 2022
Information/Fact Sheets
Key Information Points COVID-19 Register - 8 December 2020
Maximum Capacity in Room A3 Poster Updated 2 September 2020
Community Template for communicating to Department and other funders as per COVID-19 Reporting Requirements – updated 11 January 2022
STOP poster - updated 20 June 2022
Quick Reference Guide COVID Reporting in Riskman as at 9 February 2022
Pathway to care for adults with COVID-19 in Community Services as at 18 February
How to manage media as at 13 January 2022
Screening Checklists
Community Client Screening Checklist updated 17 June 2022
All staff and visitors entering a Community building are to comply with entry requirements poster updated 9 November 2021
Service Delivery