A Victorian aged care home operator has been hired by the Morrison government to provide COVID-19 vaccines to thousands of elderly residents who are still haven’t got the jab.
Healthcare sources say hospitals have been unable to secure casual workers as most have taken up work on the more lucrative COVID-19 testing and vaccination programs.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch)
Come clean: Morrison Government plan to vaccinate the private aged care workforce seems never on their radar
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch) is calling on the Morrison Government to reveal the scope of the multiple private contracts to vaccinate the private aged care workforce.
In a media release 107 days ago Federal Health and Aged Care Minister Greg Hunt said residential aged care residents and workers would be vaccinated in their facility.
In the same release Federal Aged Care Services Minister Richard Colbeck said the ‘Australian Government would be responsible for leading the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination program in the aged care sector’.
“Vaccination for residents and staff will be made available through residential aged care facilities where they live or work, and it will be administered through an in-reach workforce provider,” Mr Hunt said in the press release.
However, Aspen Medical spokesman Eamonn Quinn said the company had only ever administered doses to aged care workers that were left over once residents had been vaccinated.
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Aspen’s practice was in line with Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination dose policy, which says that any excess doses in aged care homes “should be used to vaccinate eligible individuals who are expected to be at the facility’s second dose vaccination clinic”.