Care Forward delivers a wide range of services to many individuals within our community.
During this testing time for all, we want to reassure our clients and their families that our staff are very well informed, and measures are in place to do everything possible to protect both our clients and staff.
We are receiving regular communication from the Commonwealth Department of Health, the State Public Health Services office and other regulatory bodies. This information consists of advice to service providers and actions that we are required to take.
We are going above and beyond the advice and actions being given to minimise risk to our clients and our staff into the foreseeable future.
Our actions to date:
· Staff are receiving regular written information about what is required of them based on updates we are receiving from the Commonwealth & State governments.
· At Care Forward we introduced the 14-day isolation rule for staff travelling from overseas and interstate well before the Tasmanian borders were closed. We also require that staff do not attend the workplace for 14 days if a member of their household has returned from overseas or interstate.
· All staff have been provided with additional training in hand washing techniques, understanding the spread of infection, using their personal protective equipment properly when needed and understanding how COVID-19 is spread, etc. This includes office based staff, health professionals and service delivery staff.
· Social distancing is being practiced within the office environment
· All staff have access to hand sanitiser, antiseptic wipes and hand washing facilities and know how to use these properly
· Many staff are now working from home to minimise unnecessary travel and community exposure.
· Our service delivery staff have been issued with a kit of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for use where needed and are aware of when they need to wear this.
· If you have any signs of flu or cold like symptoms when a staff member visits, you will be asked them to wear a face mask which we will provide and the staff member will use their PPE to ensure protection of the staff member.
· We are communicating regularly with other organisations that we work closely with to deliver services to provide the best possible environment for everyone.
· We have suspended all group activities for clients and social outings other than assistance with grocery shopping, medical appointments and trip to the pharmacist.
· Our management team are meeting every day at 9am to continue our planning and actions in a coordinated and managed way.
Your role is to support the efforts the staff are putting in place to protect you by wearing masks if asked to do so, reporting any cold or flu like symptoms or advice that you may have from public health to self-isolate to the office before your service is delivered. This will allow us to take the necessary precautions.
We appreciate your support in decisions that may impact how the services you have been receiving may be delivered as we move through this challenging time. Our commitment to you and our staff is that we will do our very best to continue the delivery of your services while minimising risks to both you and our staff members.
