Aruma’s response

Information current as at 08 August 2020

Our preparedness and response to COVID-19

Aruma is following all Australian Government and state health authorities’ advice.

As the situation continues to evolve, we’re making changes to our services and continuing to plan, to keep everyone safe at Aruma – our staff, customers, families and carers, contractors and suppliers, business customers, and all others who visit our services and sites.

We have a Pandemic Response Team managing our organisational response to COVID-19. The team is developing and updating guidelines for us to follow. The safeguards we are implementing all meet official Australian Government COVID-19 guidelines.

For Hot Zones, we have implemented a Rapid Response Team. The Rapid Response Team is a dedicated, focused team made up of Subject Matter Experts that are deployed to assist local services where there is a suspected or positive case of COVID-19. They include support staff, management, administration, safety and therapeutic/clinical staff. The team offers tailored support and advice, and if needed, works at a service where a customer has a confirmed case of COVID-19.

As an organisation, we need to do all we can to slow the spread of the virus. This means listening to, and following, Government guidelines, particularly around social distancing.

All Aruma staff are responsible for ensuring they keep customers, visitors and themselves safe by adhering to our strict infection control policies. These include wearing of masks (in accordance with Government advice) and Personal Protective Equipment where necessary, washing hands properly and following coughing and sneezing etiquette.

The situation and response to COVID-19 in Australia is changing constantly. We’re providing updated and ongoing information to our staff, to our customers and their families, and visitors to our sites.

In addition to our strict infection control guidelines and social distancing measures, our staff are following protocols that have been developed specifically for their State based on state-based restrictions. In general:

• Any customers who are unwell are tested immediately.
• Any staff with a confirmed case of COVID-19 must self-quarantine for 14 days or longer until they are symptom-free. Staff who are ill are not allowed at work until they are well again.
• Staff must notify their managers and our HR team if they have been in close contact with anyone with COVID-19 or who is currently being tested for COVID-19.
• All meetings are taking place via phone or Skype, unless it is absolutely critical to meet in person. In which case heavy social distancing measures will be in place along with infection control practices.
• Staff that are able to work from home are continuing to do so.
• No Aruma staff member will be flying for business purposes.
• Formal face-to-face training has commenced outside of Victoria for high-risk customer practices and high-risk staff safety areas including (but not limited to) First Aid, medication administration, diabetes management, epilepsy and midazolam administration, PEG Feeding, infection control (how to use PPE). Our standard protocols regarding limited numbers of people per room, social distancing, temperature checking and sign-in sheets will apply.
• Ongoing coaching and on-the-job training by experienced staff and managers (where already working together on-site) will ensure consistent and safe services.
• All sites now have mandatory sign in sign out sheets, and all communal equipment will be disinfected after each use.
• Sites are cleaned daily and where there is a positive COVID-19 case, affected sites undergo an intensive deep clean.

Supplies

Where we can, our staff are maintaining four weeks of supplies. This include medications and items for safe food handling, infection control, and cleaning. We’re also in ongoing contact with a variety of suppliers and the government on how best to maintain this buffer.

Keeping customers calm and informed

Staff have easy-to-understand information for customers. This includes information on self-care, activities, wearing of masks and exercise.

We’ll continue to provide our staff with useful resources to help our customers and supported employees to understand what changes are needed and what they should do. Resources are provided in Easy English format or through Social Stories.