Decision to scrap COVID-19 isolation “disappointing” for aged care providers
Published on 4 October 2022
The National Cabinet’s unanimous decision to remove mandatory isolation for people testing positive for COVID-19 from October 14 has been labelled as “disappointing” by industry bodies.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of provider peak body Aged and Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA), Tom Symondson, said the decision didn’t recognise that COVID-19 is still a threat for those in aged care.
“For many in our community, COVID is fast becoming an unpleasant memory as case numbers fall and restrictions are removed,” he said.
“But for Australia’s aged care providers, COVID continues to be an ever-present threat and they continue to do everything they can to keep their residents, clients and staff safe.
“That is why it’s disappointing that National Cabinet has decided to lift the isolation period for COVID-19 infections for the general population.”
Aged care and healthcare workers will still be expected to stay away from work while they have COVID, which Mr Symondson welcomed.
To support casual care workers who need to isolate, the Pandemic Leave Payments will remain, but only for this specific cohort.
Mr Symondson said providers should also continue to follow the advice of State, Territory and Federal health experts in relation to managing positive resident and worker COVID-19 cases, as well as isolation periods for workers and visitors.
“This includes continued use of PPE, RATs, in-reach PCR testing, and in-reach vaccination clinics for residential aged care,” he said.
“Targeted” health measures
When announcing the decision to scrap COVID isolation on Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the National Cabinet wanted to have health measures in place that were “proportionate” and “targeted at the most vulnerable”.
“We want to continue to promote vaccinations as being absolutely critical, including people getting booster shots. And we want a policy that promotes resilience and capacity-building, and reduces a reliance on Government intervention,” he explained.
Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, added that the healthcare system was under much less stress currently than in the peak of cases at the end of July, meaning more restrictions could be relaxed.
“At that time we had over 1,200 aged care facilities with outbreaks, thousands of cases within aged care, hundreds of cases amongst healthcare and aged care workers,” Professor Kelly said.
“As of [Thursday] we have just over 200 aged care outbreaks, less than 1,000 aged care residents with COVID and 314 staff.
“Aged care is a really helpful way of looking at and monitoring the situation going forward because of the close attention we are giving to that particularly vulnerable setting and we will continue to do that.”
Impact of isolation removal
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Foundation (ANMF) remains concerned about the impact the removal of COVID isolation will have on what it believes are still “stretched health and aged care systems”.
ANMF Federal Assistant Secretary, Lori-Anne Sharp, said, “ANMF members have been on the frontline of healthcare and aged care throughout the pandemic and we’re concerned that we will now be relying on people to stay at home when they test positive.
“Asymptomatic people can still be infectious and pass on the virus through the community.”
Ms Sharp added that the National Cabinet decision showed Governments were shifting their responsibilities onto the individual, which denied the “sad reality” that the pandemic is not yet over.
“We must continue to do all we can to prevent further pressure on our healthcare system and the precious nurses, midwives and carers who hold it together,” said Ms Sharp.
“National Cabinet must also be ‘flexible enough’ to reinstate public health precautions to prevent escalating cases, further healthcare crises and risk of increases in chronic disease burden from long COVID.”
While Professor Kelly acknowledged the pandemic was not over and stressed the removal of isolation was a “context-specific and timing-specific” decision, he stopped short of suggesting isolation periods may be reintroduced in future pandemic waves.
“The crucial point here is that the emergency response phase is probably finished at this point in the pandemic,” he said.
“The key thing is that we will see more waves. This virus will be around for many years. But it is time to consider… different ways of dealing with it and that should be proportionate to what is happening in front of us.”
Professor Kelly added that COVID in workplaces, particularly high-risk settings like aged care, “will remain” the responsibility of employers and that the disease should be treated the same as other infectious diseases in terms of work health and safety practices.