COVID-19 information for aged care and community care providers

WA Health is committed to ensuring that our partner organisations and other affiliates in Aged Care and Community Care are well supported to deal with COVID-19.

We are especially keen to ensure vulnerable persons, who we know are more vulnerable to the virus, are able to receive the ongoing safe and high quality care they need.

Aged Care Providers include Government and private agencies who provide care to older persons. Community Care Providers include organisations and staff who work to provide care outside of the hospital setting and in the community, including home care and non-clinical care.

Aged care

Supporting information for the management of Acute Respiratory Infection (including COVID-19 and Influenza)

The Supporting information for the management of Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) (PDF 197KB), including COVID-19 and Influenza, in RACFs has been developed by the Department of Health Western Australia. It is designed to be read alongside other resources including the National Guidelines for the Prevention, Control and Public Health Management of Outbreaks of Acute Respiratory Infection (including COVID-19 and Influenza) in Residential Care Facilities and the National statement of expectations on COVID-19 management in aged care settings within The National COVID-19 Health Management Plan for 2023.

This document provides:

advice on acute respiratory infections and outbreaks
testing of residents and staff with acute respiratory infections
management of cases and contacts
infection, prevention and control measures
priorities in managing an acute acute respiratory infection outbreak
notification and reporting for acute acute respiratory infections.

Aged care infection prevention and control resources

The Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines for Western Australian Residential Care Facilities (PDF 1.4MB) has been prepared to support residential care facility Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Leads and outlines key IPC responsibilities.

Hand hygiene

Hand hygiene means thoroughly cleaning your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub (hand sanitiser). Correct hand hygiene reduces the spread of germs and is essential in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19.

It is important to know when to perform hand hygiene. The 5 moments for hand hygiene poster (external site) provides a useful reminder and can be placed around the workplace.

It’s also important to know how to wash and cleanse your hands properly. The How to wash your hands poster (PDF 348KB), shows how to wash hands with soap and water and with hand sanitiser, and can be placed above hand wash stations and where hand sanitiser is located.

How to don (put on) and doff (remove) PPE

All staff members must be trained in the correct use of PPE. This includes identification and correct donning and doffing sequences. The correct sequence is outlined in the PPE: Donning and doffing in healthcare settings poster (PDF 1.6MB).

You may also wish to view this brief Donning and doffing PPE video (external site).

To support training undertaken in your facility, download the PPE: Don & doff in healthcare setting competency checklist (PDF 168KB).

Donning and doffing stations

Donning and doffing stations should be easily accessible but located in completely separate, designated and distanced zones.

See Donning and doffing station examples (PDF 411KB) for pictures of donning and doffing stations.

Infection prevention and control for designated zones

In case of a probable or confirmed case of COVID-19, your service should be divided into zones to limit the risk of transmission.

Follow the infection prevention and control advice on the necessary precautions before entering a COVID-19 designated zone and the PPE changes that are required between resident rooms. This is dependent on the procedure undertaken, level of contact with the resident and the PPE that may be contaminated.

This advice can be found in the Designated Zoning Posters for Residential Aged Care Facilities (PDF 1.9MB).

In an outbreak, significant efforts and resources will apply to designated zones, including the creation of staffing and resident cohorts. Additional infection prevention and control strategies will need to be strictly followed.

Download the Stop – No entry beyond this point (PDF 178KB) and Stop – Authorised access only (PDF 179KB) posters.

Community care providers

Last reviewed: 14-10-2022