Residential Aged Care
COVID-19 Immunisation

Latest immunisation updates for RACFs

• Watch our  latest RACF COVID-19 Vaccination Update webinar
• Read our latest Frequently Asked Questions
• 9 April update

Subscribe to updates here

Contact racfvaccination@wapha.org.au if you require any further information or clarification.

Role of the Primary Health Networks (PHNs)

• WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) operates WA’s three Primary Health Networks – Perth North, Perth South and Country WA.
• PHNs across Australia are assisting in the coordination, planning and delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
• WAPHA is assisting the Australian Government in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout for people in residential aged care facilities.

Current Situation

• • The Pfizer/BioNTech and the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines have both been provided provisional approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
  • The rollout will begin with Phase 1, which has been divided further into Phase 1a and Phase 1b. Phase 1a will include residential aged care facility (RACF) staff and residents.
  • Third party vaccination workforce providers have been contracted by the Australian Government to provide the COVID-19 vaccinations in RACFs. In WA, Aspen Medical will be the vaccination workforce provider.
  • The roll out in RACFs started on Monday 22 February 2021. Week 7 of the rollout commenced on Monday 5 April 2021.
  • As of 4 April, more than 111,000 doses across 1,270 RACFs nationally have been delivered.
  • The Australian Government Department of Health and Aspen Medical have provided the vaccination schedule to WAPHA up to mid-May 2021.
  • WAPHA and Aspen Medical are contacting each RACF to advise of the scheduled vaccination day as the schedules become available.
  • WAPHA has developed a contact list to assist RACFs in this process – External RACF Rollout Reference Key Contacts List. This document should be read in conjunction with the Triage process and scenario mapping for residential aged care facilities document.
  • The Australian Government is seeking submissions from residential aged care providers for the safe, targeted and timely administration of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to residential aged care staff by late May 2021. Residential aged care providers interested in participating can find further information here.
  • Information and resources for RACFs, including consent forms and site readiness checklists, are available from the Australian Government Department of Health: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/covid-19-vaccination-resource-pack-for-residential-aged-care Information for consumers, families and carers is available from the following sources:
  • • The Australian Government Department of Health: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/covid-19-vaccination-resource-pack-for-residential-aged-care
    • If residents or family would like more information about the COVID-19 vaccines, they can phone the national helpline: 1800 020 080.
    • There is information about the COVID-19 vaccines available on the HealthDirect website: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/covid-19-vaccination.

What do residential aged care providers need to do now?

• Review the information available in the Australian Government COVID-19 vaccination – Resource pack for residential aged care.
• Watch our RACF COVID-19 Vaccination Update webinar.
• WAPHA strongly recommends that all RACFs begin obtaining consent for the COVID-19 vaccination from residents and staff. Obtaining consent can take time, particularly for some residents.
• All residential aged care providers have been asked to provide information to WAPHA via a Portal. Please provide this information as soon as possible.
• All RACFs can start working through the COVID-19 vaccination – Site readiness checklist for RACFs.
• Subscribe to our RACF newsletter here.
• Contact racfvaccination@wapha.org.au if you require any further information.

What should GPs working in RACFs do now?

• Review the consent and consumer information available in the Australian Government COVID-19 vaccination – Resource pack for residential aged care.
• Review the COVID-19 vaccination information pathway available on HealthPathways WA.
• Speak to the RACFs where you have patients who are resident regarding vaccination planning and arrangements.
• Subscribe to WAPHA’s COVID-19 Vaccination Update.
• GPs who have questions about the rollout should contact practiceassist@wapha.org.au