mteb/FeedbackQARetrieval huggingface dataset:
Providing aged care services during COVID-19
Support for care recipients
Some older people may feel more alone during the pandemic. They may:

have less contact with friends and relatives
feel isolated from their culture and heritage
have less contact with the outside world because some shops and activities have temporarily closed

To support older people, let them know about:

the Community Visitors Scheme for residential aged care and home care recipients — regular visits or contact from volunteers can help older people feel less isolated
Head to Health — this website provides information about mental health and digital support

Online training
A 30-minute online module — COVID-19 infection control
training — is
available for care workers across all health care settings. It includes
training specific to aged care.
Other training modules include:

personal safety
families and visitors – residential care
families and visitors – in-home care
COVID-19 and aged care
outbreak management procedures
personal protective equipment
laundry
if you suspect a person has COVID-19

These modules take 5 to 10 minutes each. You will receive an acknowledgement
of completion certificate for each module.
This training is hosted on an external site, provided by our COVID-19 training
partner Aspen Medical.
Register now
Publications and fact sheets
See our COVID-19 resources for aged care
services.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) resources for health professionals, including aged
care providers, pathology providers and health care
managers
A collection of resources for health professionals, including aged care
providers, pathology providers and health care managers, about coronavirus
(COVID-19).
Visit the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s COVID-19
page for
more resources including an overview of their compliance approach during the
pandemic.
Webinars
View our:

webinars on the COVID-19 response for the health and aged care sector
webinars for the aged care sector
Providing health care face to face during COVID-19
When to provide care face to face
Health professionals can provide health care remotely through
telehealth. They can also
prescribe medicines remotely and have
them home delivered to patients by their pharmacist.
But health care professionals and care workers can still provide care face to
face. This includes:

general practitioners and other specialists
pharmacists
other primary care and allied health practitioners
clinicians and health care professionals working in acute, secondary and tertiary care
nurses and midwives
aged care workers and disability support workers
providers of mental health services, including psychologists, counsellors, mental health workers
paramedics and ambulance first responders

Where a patient or client receives care depends on their circumstances. In
some cases, providing care face to face is the only option.

Some people need to receive care in their own home — such as under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme or Home Care Packages Program.
People living in a residential aged care facility or disability service still need day-to-day care and regular access to health professionals.
Some health conditions require a physical examination.
Some people can’t or don’t want to use phone or video services.
Some services can only be delivered face to face.

When delivering care face to face, health professionals and care workers must
take steps to protect themselves and their patients from COVID-19. This
includes good hygiene practices and the use of
personal protective equipment (PPE).
Providing health care remotely during COVID-19
Home delivery for medicines
The Home Medicines
Service
is a temporary program paying a fee per delivery to Australian pharmacies for
home delivery to vulnerable people of:

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medications
Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medicines

Pharmacists can find out more about patient eligibility criteria and how to
take part at the Pharmacy Programs
Administrator site.
For patients who do not meet the program’s criteria for a vulnerable person,
pharmacies may charge a home delivery fee.
Pharmacies should advise patients at the time of receipt of the prescription
from the dispenser or the patient if they are not able to provide a home
delivery service.
Providing health care remotely during COVID-19
Telehealth services 
The Australian Government has added a number of temporary Medicare
items to help health care practitioners deliver telehealth services via
phone or video conferencing.
Telehealth services will help protect health care professionals, their staff
and patients from unnecessary risk of infection.
These measures will be in place until 30 September 2020. The Government
will consider extending beyond 30 September 2020 if the Australian Health
Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) recommends it.
Providing health care remotely during COVID-19
Who can provide telehealth services
Telehealth bulk billing for GPs
From 6 April 2020, it is a legislative requirement that the new telehealth
service must be bulk billed by GPs and other medical practitioners (OMP –
practitioners not vocationally recognised as GPs, providing non-referred
services). This is only for:

Commonwealth concession card holders
children under 16 years old
people who are more vulnerable to COVID-19

A person who is more vulnerable to COVID-19 is someone who:

is required to isolate or quarantine according to Australian Health Protection Principal Committee guidance
is at least 70 years old
identifies as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent and is at least 50 years old
is pregnant
is the parent of a child aged under 12 months
is being treated for a chronic health condition
is of any age and has suppressed immunity
meets the national triage protocol criteria for suspected COVID-19 infection

Health care providers may apply their usual billing practices to the
telehealth items for patients who do not fit the above criteria.
Providing health care remotely during COVID-19
How to provide prescriptions and prescription medication via telehealth
We are working with clinical software providers to upgrade prescribing and
dispensing software so it supports electronic prescribing. We expect this to be available from May
2020.
For now, at a telehealth consultation, a prescriber can prescribe medication
by writing a paper prescription and providing it to the patient (for example,
by post). If this is not practical, a prescriber can instead turn the
prescription into an ‘image-based prescription’. This is a digital image of
the paper prescription, which can then be sent by the prescriber to the
patient’s preferred pharmacy.
The Commonwealth has changed legislation to temporarily allow prescribers to
create a digital image of the patient’s prescription to support supply of
their medicines. This interim arrangement supports telehealth before
electronic prescribing becomes available.
See our guide on how to write a prescription for your patient during a
telehealth consultation.
Pharmacists can dispense medications and make Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
(PBS) claims from the digital image of the prescription sent through by the
prescriber.
Under the temporary arrangement, patients do not need to sign to acknowledge
receipt of supply if it is not practical for them to do so. The pharmacist may
sign on behalf of the patient, unless it is not practical for them to do so.
If the prescriber has authorised repeats, the pharmacist may create a repeat
authorisation and attach it to a print out of the digital image of the
prescription. This must be held in the pharmacy for subsequent supply of the
medication.
See our guide for pharmacists on how to dispense an image-based prescription
sent from a prescriber.
For image-based prescriptions, prescribers must keep the paper prescription
for 2 years (for audit and compliance purposes). Pharmacists must keep the
digital image of the prescription for 2 years.
Medicines in Schedule 8 and Schedule 4 Appendix D in the Poisons Standard are
not part of this interim arrangement, unless specifically permitted by
relevant state or territory rules. Supply these medicines according to your
state and territory legislation.
While the vast majority of health care providers do the right thing, please
report any fraudulent and inappropriate practice against Medicare and the
PBS.
Providing health care remotely during COVID-19
Information for patients
If patients are seeking further information on how to access telehealth and
prescriptions from home, please see the following guides:

Accessing health services during COVID-19 restrictions
Getting medicines during COVID-19 restrictions
Prescriptions via telehealth – a guide for patients
Consumer fact sheet on telehealth services at MBS Online
Home Medicines Service – information for consumers (for vulnerable people)

More resources for the general public are available at our coronavirus
(COVID-19) resources collection.
Online training
A 30-minute online module — COVID-19 infection control
training — is
available for care workers across all health care settings.
This training is hosted on an external site, provided by our COVID-19 training
partner Aspen Medical.
Register now
Publications and fact sheets
See our resources for health professionals on providing health care during
COVID-19.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) resources for health professionals, including aged
care providers, pathology providers and health care
managers
A collection of resources for health professionals, including aged care
providers, pathology providers and health care managers, about coronavirus
(COVID-19).
Webinars
Stay up to date with our webinars on the coronavirus (COVID-19) response for
the health and aged care sector.
Providing health care remotely during COVID-19
How to provide health services remotely
Videoconferencing is the preferred way to do a telehealth consultation.
However, you can offer telephone services if video is not available.
You do not need specific equipment to provide Medicare-compliant telehealth
services. Make sure your chosen telecommunications solution meets your
clinical requirements and satisfies privacy laws. See the Australian Cyber
Security Centre for advice on how to select a web conferencing
solution.
For guidance on how to run a telehealth consultation about COVID-19, see our
flow chart on telehealth and consultations in GP respiratory
clinics.
Providing health care remotely during COVID-19
Who can provide telehealth services
A range of health care providers can now provide telehealth services to
patients. These include:

general practitioners (GPs)
specialists
allied health providers
mental health professionals
nurse practitioners

MBS Online has a series of COVID-19 Temporary MBS Telehealth Services fact
sheets. This includes lists of the types of health care professionals who can
provide telehealth services and the relevant MBS item numbers.
Quarantine for coronavirus (COVID-19)
Returning to your community
If you have completed your 14 day quarantine period without developing
symptoms you will be able to leave quarantine. You should follow the same
advice that applies to the rest of the community in your state or territory.
You must continue to practise physical distancing, and good
hygiene.
If you become unwell and have any cold or flu like symptoms return home and
contact your doctor.
Quarantine for coronavirus (COVID-19)
Steps you need to take while in quarantine
When you must quarantine you must go straight to your home, hotel room or
other accommodation. You cannot stop anywhere, not even to buy food, medicine
or groceries. Where possible, use personal transport such as your car.
You must in quarantine for the entire 14 days to stop the spread of the virus.
This is because you may be in the incubation period (the time between getting
the virus showing symptoms). If you leave quarantine before the end of 14 days
you may face criminal charges or a fine.
Quarantine means you:

must not leave your home/hotel except 
in an emergency 
to obtain essential medical care


must not go into public places including work and shops
must not let anyone into your home/hotel room unless they 
usually lives with you
are entering to provide medical care
are entering for an emergency



If you live in a house, you may go into your garden or courtyard. You can go
onto your balcony if you live in an apartment or are staying in a hotel.
If you are in a hotel you must avoid contact with other guests and staff.
Monitor symptoms
If you develop cold or flu like symptoms in quarantine you should phone your
doctor or the healthdirect hotline. They
can tell you how to get a test for COVID-19.
If you are having serious symptoms you should call 000 straight away. This
includes shortness of breath, difficulty breathing or chest pressure or pain.
Tell the ambulance staff you are in quarantine and may have coronavirus.
If you live alone, a friend or family member can ring you to check that you
are OK.
If you develop symptoms and test positive for coronavirus you will enter
isolation. The people living with you now become close contacts and must go
into quarantine.
Quarantine for coronavirus (COVID-19)
Support services
There are a range of support services available to help you. You can do the
following:

Visit Head to Health for links to trusted Australian mental health online and phone supports, resources and treatment options. This useful website also has online programs and forums, as well as a range of digital information resources.
Contact your local state and territory health departments.

National Coronavirus Helpline
Call this line if you are seeking information on coronavirus (COVID-19) or
help with the COVIDSafe app. The line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a
week.
1800 020 080
View contact
Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National)
TIS National is for people who do not speak English and for agencies and
businesses that need to communicate with their non-English speaking clients.
131 450 Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS
National)
View contact
Quarantine for coronavirus (COVID-19)
How to get food and medication
You can get food and medication while in quarantine by doing one of the
following:

Ask friends or family members you don’t live with to get food and medication to leave at your door. If you need a prescription filled arrange this with your usual pharmacist or GP. You can then let your friend or family member know where to go to collect the medication.
Arrange a food delivery service. Have all food left outside your house. Do not let any delivery person into your home.
If you need a prescription filled you can arrange for your doctor to send your prescription to your pharmacy. They can then deliver it to your house. Read more about getting medicines and accessing health services.
Quarantine for coronavirus (COVID-19)
Who must go into quarantine
If a public health authority directs you to, you must go into a mandatory
14-day period of quarantine. During this time they will monitor you.
You will need to go into quarantine if you:

have returned home from overseas
have been in contact with someone who has confirmed or is likely to have COVID-19
are entering certain remote areas in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory (unless exempt)
are entering a state that has a required quarantine period

If you remain well after 14 days you will be able to leave quarantine. If you
develop symptoms during this time you will need a test for COVID-19. Even if
you test negative you must stay in quarantine for the full 14 days.
If you test positive you will need to go into isolation. Anyone
who has been in your household is a close contact and must then go into
quarantine.
Quarantine for coronavirus (COVID-19)
Living with other people while in quarantine
If you are well, others you live with don’t need to quarantine unless they
also meet the criteria. You should limit your contact with them as much as
possible by:

staying in your own room
using a separate bathroom, if you can
staying at least 1.5 metres away from others
avoiding common areas and wearing a mask when moving through these areas
wearing a mask when in the same room as others
not sharing a room with people, especially people at risk of severe disease (this includes elderly people and people with heart, lung, or kidney conditions and diabetes)
practising good hand hygiene and covering coughs and sneezes
avoiding sharing household items
frequently cleaning the house, especially things people touch often, like door handles
Racism has no place in Australia
Racism has no place in Australia
Translating and Interpreting Service
If you witness or experience racial discrimination, harassment or hatred,
don’t put up with it; report it.
The Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) is an interpreting
service for people who do not speak English. The majority of TIS National
services are free to non-English speakers.

Phone: 131 450
Visit: www.tisnational.gov.au
Racism has no place in Australia
Racism has no place in Australia
Police assistance
If you witness or experience racial discrimination, harassment or hatred,
don’t put up with it; report it.

If you are threatened with violence or violently attacked, contact the police.
Get to a safe location as soon as possible.
In an emergency or life threatening situation, call Triple Zero (000) and ask for police.
If you require police assistance, but there is no immediate danger, call the Police Assistance Line (131 444).
Racism has no place in Australia
Racism has no place in Australia
Counselling and Mental Health Wellbeing
If you witness or experience racial discrimination, harassment or hatred,
don’t put up with it; report it.
A new 24/7 support service specifically designed to help people through the
COVID-19 pandemic is available free of charge to all Australians.
The support service can be accessed through the website
https://coronavirus.beyondblue.org.au/
For personal crisis and mental health support services you can contact Beyond
Blue on 1800 512 348 or Lifeline on 13 11 14 at any time.
Kids Helpline is a free service for young people aged 5 to 25. Kids, teens and
young adults can call 1800 551 800 at any time.
Racism has no place in Australia
Racism has no place in Australia
National Information Service
If you witness or experience racial discrimination, harassment or hatred,
don’t put up with it; report it.
The Australian Human Rights Commission’s National Information Service (NIS)
provides information and referrals for individuals, organisations and
employers about a range of human rights and discrimination issues. This
service is free and confidential.
The NIS can:

give you information about your rights and responsibilities under federal human rights and anti-discrimination law
discuss whether you may be able to make a complaint to the Commission or how the law might apply to your situation
give you information about how to make a complaint, respond to a complaint or deal with specific discrimination issues
refer you to another organisation that may be able to help you

Please note that the NIS is unable to provide legal advice.
You can contact the NIS by:

Phone: 1300 656 419 or 02 9284 9888
Email: infoservice@humanrights.gov.au
Fax: 02 9284 9611
National Relay Service: 1300 555 727 (Speak and Listen) or internet-relay.nrscall.gov.au
Racism has no place in Australia
Racism has no place in Australia
Racial hatred and the Australian Human Rights Commission
If you witness or experience racial discrimination, harassment or hatred,
don’t put up with it; report it.
In Australia it is against the law to do something in public based on the
race, colour, national or ethnic origin of a person or group of people which
is likely to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate.
Examples of racial hatred may include:

racially offensive material on the internet, including eforums, blogs, social networking sites and video sharing sites
racially offensive comments or images in a newspaper, magazine or other publication such as a leaflet or flyer
racially offensive speeches at a public rally
racially abusive comments in a public place, such as a shop, workplace, park, on public transport or at school
racially abusive comments at sporting events by players, spectators, coaches or officials.

The law aims to strike a balance between the right to communicate freely
(‘freedom of speech’) and the right to live free from racial hatred. In some
circumstances actions may not be against the law if they are “done reasonably
and in good faith”.
If you experience racial hatred you can make a complaint to the Australian
Human Rights Commission. The complaint process is simple, free and flexible.
To lodge a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission, visit
www.humanrights.gov.au/complaints.
Retirees
Reduced drawdowns
Superannuation minimum drawdown requirements for account-based pensions and
similar products are being reduced by 50 per cent for the 2019-20 and 2020-21
income years.
This is designed to ease pressure on retirees to sell investment assets in the
current economic climate.
Your minimum drawdown allowance will vary depending on your age.
For those under 65 the minimum drawdown halves from 4 per cent to 2 per cent.
For those aged 74 to 79 it halves from 6 per cent to 3 per cent. For those
aged 95 and over it drops from 14 to 7 per cent.
Staying in Australia
I have a temporary visa
I have a Visitor visa or Electronic Travel Authority (ETA)
Under Australian migration law, it is not possible to extend a visitor visa or
ETA. You must apply for a new visa before your current visa expires.
If you have a ‘no further stay condition’ attached to your visa, you will need
to apply to have this waived before you make any visa application.
If you cannot depart Australia as planned, check your permitted stay period,
visa expiry date and visa conditions to make sure you remain lawful in
Australia.
You can check your visa details in
VEVO, the myVEVO
app,
in your visa grant letter or your
ImmiAccount. You can check your ETA
expiry and conditions through our Check an ETA
service.
When you apply for a new visa, you may be granted a bridging visa that will
keep you lawful in Australia until a decision is made on your visa
application.
If your visa has already expired, see My visa has expired.
Staying in Australia
I have a Bridging visa E
This temporary visa allows you to stay in Australia while you:

make arrangements to leave
finalise your immigration matter
wait for an immigration decision.

Working rights
You may be allowed to work in Australia depending on your Bridging visa
conditions.
You can check by:

using the VEVO service, or
accessing your visa conditions through your ImmiAccount.

Expiring Bridging visas
If you want to stay in Australia beyond your visa expiry date, you must apply
for another visa.
Status Resolution Service
The Status Resolution Service (SRS) program can provide you with temporary
support.
You may be eligible for support if you are:

without a visa and living in Australia
an illegal maritime arrival (IMA) and have lodged a valid Temporary Protection Visa (TPV) or Safe Haven Enterprise Visa (SHEV) application
a non-IMA and have lodged a valid protection visa application
a holder of a Bridging Visa E (BVE)
facing significant barriers that are impacting on your ability to resolve your immigration status.