Measures We Are Taking
Since 27th November 2020 the Victorian State Government advised Disability Support Workers are no longer required to wear eye protection when supporting people with disability. The advice still requires wearing of face masks at all times when supporting people with disability. The wearing of face masks became a requirement for all people working in Community Services in Victoria from 11.59pm Sunday 2 August 2020. Since Tuesday 28th July 2020 all CLRS staff are being issued with face masks on a weekly basis to ensure this requirements is being met.
Staff are not permitted to wear a cloth face mask or a reusable face mask when delivering supports or working in any CLRS office. A surgical face mask must be worn.
If a staff member wearing a face mask is of concern to you please contact your Team Leader to discuss your concerns.
As part of the services we deliver, we routinely support people who are a higher risk of infection. Due to this we train our staff in infection control practices every year. With the increased risk of infection from COVID-19 we wanted to inform you of these practices and what extra steps we are putting in place so that you can make informed choices about your supports.
The Department of Health guidelines tell us that the following people are at higher risk from COVID-19:
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people with compromised immune systems (such as people who have cancer or received cancer treatment)
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elderly people
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (higher rates of chronic illness)
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people with chronic medical conditions
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people in group residential settings
All of our staff have done the following:
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Been tested at an asymptomatic clinic (May 1st to May 11th) as part of the testing blitz to help the Government better understand how the virus is spreading in the community
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Completed additional training in hand hygiene
All of our staff are continuing to:
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Wash their hands when they arrive and before they leave your home
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Use hand sanitiser
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Practise social distancing and stay 1.5 metres away from people they do not need to be close to
We would appreciate it if you, our clients, could please do the following:
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Allow staff to use your bathroom or laundry sink and hot water to wash their hands
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Provide hand sanitiser if you have some
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Contact your Team Leader if you are feeling unwell or showing any symptoms of the virus. We will not stop your services but we will provide additional precaution kits to your staff
We understand that being supported and delivering support during this time will be a little different and challenging at times. To help we have created a short video to explain what you, our client will experience when our staff are supporting you in your home. It also explains for staff when and how to use personal protective equipment (PPE). We hope it helps make what we are doing clearer and easier to understand: