Aged care staff in MV struggling to be vaccinated

Sharon Webb

Staff in Meander Valley aged care facilities are facing long waits for vaccination against COVID-19.

Initially it was believed that staff would be vaccinated at the same time as residents received the jab from visiting Federal Government teams.

But in the muddle of the Federal Government vaccine rollout that did not happen.

Ridiculously, the Federal Government is demanding statistics on vaccinated staff numbers from aged care management, when staff are not legally obliged to give management that information, according to Respect CEO Brett Menzies.

Not only are vaccinations not mandatory for aged care staff, in the Meander Valley aged care management has little knowledge of whether staff members have been vaccinated.

WA Premier Mike McGowan has announced that state’s plans to make vaccination for aged care staff compulsory following spread of the disease by staff working at facilities in VIC and NSW.

Tasmanian Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff will only say that he is waiting for the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee to provide advice on the matter.

Respect’s Brett Menzies, responsible for the 75 resident Tyler Village in Prospect Vale, said he believes staff are roughly tracking at the vaccination national average of 20 per cent.

‘We have strongly recommended vaccination to our staff,’ he said. ‘But it’s difficult when there’s misinformation about vaccination on social media. The community in general has a hesitation around COVID vaccination.’

Deloraine Aged Care CEO Nadine Ozols said she is surveying staff for the Federal Government’s statistics on staff vaccinations.

‘Numbers are trickling in but staff book at a clinic for the vaccination and are told they must wait four weeks. It’s not for want of trying but the clinics just can’t get the vaccine. Some people have threatened to leave the industry if vaccination is mandated. We’ll just have to see.’

Ms Ozols said there are two main blocks to staff vaccination. People not wishing to be told they must be vaccinated and the lack of research on the long term effect of the vaccination.

The UK has recently mandated vaccination for aged care staff but Mr Menzies said Australia is not in the same position.

‘The rates of transmission are not the same here as in the UK and the USA. Those places have a public safety case to urge people to be vaccinated,’ he said. 

‘Australians haven’t had a taste of that. They can’t see the risk.’