Flu Vaccination Requirements for Entry into Aged Care Facilities

Flu Vaccination Requirements for Entry into Aged Care Facilities

Under the COVID-19 emergency State and Territory directions, residential aged care providers are required to take all reasonable steps to ensure that a person does not enter or remain on the premises of a residential aged care facility if they do not meet the flu vaccination (and other) requirements.

These directions are in alignment with the recommendations of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC). The AHPPC is made up of Chief Medical Officers from each State and Territory and is chaired by the Australian Chief Medical Officer. In their Statement of 17 March 2020 the AHPPC recommended that “visitors and staff (including visiting workers) should not be permitted to enter the facility” if they “have not been vaccinated against influenza (after 1st May 2020)”.

In general terms, the requirement is that all visitors and staff at residential aged care facilities have the 2020 annual flu vaccination by 1 May 2020 unless there is a medical contraindication. This applies to staff, visitors, health practitioners, volunteers and others (such as cleaners, tradespeople, gardeners, delivery staff, maintenance staff). Each State and Territory has issued its own emergency directions in relation to these restricted visiting requirements. Please click here to view the most up to date directions for South Australia.

For more information on what actions residential care providers should take to ensure their employees and visitors are complying with these requirements, and other helpful information, refer to Leading Age Services Australia‘s very useful factsheet, which can be accessed here.