THURSDAY, 9 JULY 2020
This week’s changes to COVID restrictions in ESSA’s three-stage recovery plan for COVID-19
The latest state and territory changes apply to Northern Territory (new restrictions on interstate hotspots effective 8 July 2020); and NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania (new border crossing arrangements). All these changes are summarised here.
Victoria
Accredited Exercise Physiologists working in metropolitan Melbourne and the Shire of Mitchell (the listed 32 councils) need to revert to using ESSA’s guidance for Stage 1 listed here for the next six weeks at least until 19 August, 2020. This means only delivering essential clinical care for a specific clinical condition or defined clinical pathway in line with current best evidence.
For in-person AEP services, up to 10 practitioners and clients in total in a clinic at any one time (e.g. could be 2 x AEPs delivering group classes for 3 clients in each class and 2 x AEPs providing individual consults) providing all social distancing and density requirements can be met.
If a practicum student is involved, then the student is counted in the total of 10 people.
For in-person group AEP services, 3 clients in a group and 1 AEP (4 people in total) for essential allied health clinical care for in-person group AEP classes based on clinical judgement of AEP.
Up to two groups in separate spaces at one time if density and social distancing requirements can be met.
If a practicum student is involved with a group class, then only two clients are allowed (4 people in total).
What is essential allied health clinical care?
Clinical care is defined by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care as the care clients should be offered by health professionals and health services for a specific clinical condition or defined clinical pathway in line with current best evidence.
All other ESSA members working in the listed 32 councils need to stop delivering in-person services in non-essential workplaces (large gyms, fitness centres, health studios and swimming pools). These non-essential workplaces have been ordered to close. You can still operate online and work outdoors with a maximum of two clients.
Victorians living in the impacted areas have only four reasons to leave home:
- Shopping for food and supplies
- Care and caregiving
- Exercise
- Study and work – if you can’t do it from home.
Stay at Home restrictions will be in place until at least 19 August, 2020 for members living in the listed councils.
Victoria Police can issue on the spot fines of up to $1,652 for individuals and up to $9,913 for businesses. More information
here for Victorian members.
There have been no changes to ESSA’s overview of Australian requirements and recommendations. This document can now be accessed
here in our COVID-19 home page in the Members’ Lounge.
Australian Government appoints new Commonwealth Chief Allied Officer
After intensive advocacy by ESSA, Allied Health Professions Australia, the National Rural Health Commissioner and many other peak allied health organisations, the Australian Government has appointed Dr Anne-marie Boxall as the Commonwealth Chief Allied Health Officer.
Dr Boxall was trained as a physiotherapist and her research expertise is in health policy—holding a Master of Public Health (Hons) and PhD in health policy, and recently completed a Harkness Fellowship in Healthcare Policy and Practice in the United States. Her most recent role was as an Assistant Secretary, Australian Government Department of Health.
More details on the appointment are here.
HBF and HCF PHI providers extending telehealth
HBF and HCF are extending exercise physiology telehealth items until 31 December, 2020. Bupa, Medibank and NIB have extended telehealth codes until 30 September, 2020. These providers are assessing the telehealth item codes and will be making decisions in the coming months as to whether items continue beyond these dates.
Please consider whether you can assist clients to access these items, especially those who are vulnerable.
More information on which private health insurance funds have exercise physiology telehealth items is here. ESSA’s range of telepractice tools is here.
Unpaid pandemic leave & annual leave changes to awards - Fair Work Commission
The Fair Work Commission made determinations varying 99 industry awards. The determinations inserted a temporary new Schedule X into these 99 awards, which provided employees with two weeks of unpaid pandemic leave and the ability to take twice as much annual leave at half their normal pay if their employer agreed.
The Commission extended Schedule X in many awards on 1 July 2020. There are different end dates for the extended unpaid pandemic leave and annual leave provisions in each award. Most notably, the temporary conditions in the Fitness Industry Award 2010 (AM2020/80) have been extended to 30 September 2020.
An end date has not been issued for the Health Professionals and Support Services Award. Please note, any leave taken under Schedule X needs to start by 31 July 2020. Read more from the Fair Work Commission here.
Request for NDIS COVID-19 Loading
Allied Health Professions Australia on behalf of ESSA and other allied health peak bodies has requested the NDIA re-apply the 10 percent loading for NDIS services provided in Melbourne and the Shire of Mitchell, noting the new requirement for PPE and complexities of providing services during lockdown. ESSA will communicate news on whether this has been successful as soon as we hear anything.
Department of Health (DoH) COVID-19 Primary Care and Allied Health Webinar
A recording of the 9 July 2020 webinar which focused on needs of patients from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds is here.
We anticipate the next webinar will be on Thursday, 23 July 2020. More details will be available here.
State News
Victoria
Need to wear standard surgical masks
Professor Michael Kidd AM, Principal Medical Advisor to the Department of Health has recommended that ALL health professionals in Greater Melbourne and Shire of Mitchell seeing any patient for any reason should wear a standard surgical mask. Please refer to ESSA's Communique of 22 May, 2020 for details on how to access Accessing Surgical Masks from your local PHN.
Inquiry into the Victorian Government's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Victorian Public Accounts and Estimates Committee has established an Inquiry into the Victorian Government's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Terms of Reference are here. If you have any issues or praise about the Victorian Government’s handling of the COVID-19, please send your comment to Leanne Evans on [email protected] by Friday, 17 July 2020. Submissions close on 31 July 2020.
Queensland
COVID-19 Submission
ESSA lodged a submission to the Inquiry into the Queensland Government’s Health Response to COVID-19 last week. Read the 20 recommendations ESSA made here. The full submission will be made available once the Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Committee accepts ESSA’s submission and it is published on the Queensland Parliament website.
NSW
ICYMI last week - COVID-19 Recovery Grant applications now open
If your small business or not-for-profit organisation has experienced a decline in turnover as a result of COVID-19, you may be eligible for a small business recovery grant of between $500 and $3000. Applications close 16 August 2020. Read more here.
Resources
For Business Owners: Making some changes to your team?
ESSA has updated fact sheets on understanding casual employment AND variations to part-time hours. Log in to the ESSA Business Network (EBN) Human Resources page here.
Redundancy
DLA Piper a global law firm, has published a series of articles on redundancy:
Aged Care Update from the Department of Health
New Zealand Guidance on COVID-19 Rehabilitation
Allied Health Aotearoa New Zealand (AHANZ) has shared with Allied Health Professions Australia the NZ Ministry of Health's recently released Guidance for the rehabilitation of people with or recovering from COVID-19 in Aotearoa NZ.
Research
COVID-19 Planning
Researchers have called for planning for the COVID-19 aftermath to manage the aftershocks:
“Australia needs to plan now, not just for survivors in the initial post- acute stage, but also to manage individuals affected in subsequent waves. Such patients may require rehabilitation, along with those, fearful of infection, who present to hospital late with non-COVID-19 conditions like stroke, and those with deteriorating chronic diseases who have not had access to hospital based services.”
Faux, S. G., Eagar, K., Cameron, I. D., & Poulos, C. J. (2020). COVID-19: planning for the aftermath to manage the aftershocks. The Medical journal of Australia, 10.5694/mja2.50685. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.5694/mja2.50685