A move by the Commonwealth to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for aged care workers has been labelled as appalling by Tasmania's peak nurses body, who says the federal government are trying to shift the blame of a failed roll-out.
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National Cabinet this week agreed to make coronavirus vaccines mandatory for all aged care workers, meaning staff will need to have their first jab by mid-September if they want to keep working in the sector.
READ MORE: What the latest vaccine changes mean for you
While supportive of the role of vaccinations in saving lives, Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Tasmania branch secretary Emily Shepherd said it was disappointing considering aged care workers were largely left out of phase 1a of the roll-out.
"The Commonwealth has not responded to consistent calls from the ANMF to make paid vaccination leave available to aged care workers so that workers could access a vaccine in paid time and to cover any vaccine related illness, which would have facilitated greater uptake of the vaccine, yet have now chosen to after making it mandatory," she said.
"It is outrageous to announce Commonwealth support for aged care workers to access vaccines in paid time now, when the ANMF has been calling for this support for months to increase vaccine uptake in aged care workers who were having difficulty in accessing appointments."
Aged care workers were considered high priority under phase 1a of the government's vaccine roll-out and were supposed to be vaccinated at their aged care facilities.
However, many reportedly missed out.
In Tasmania this resulted in the state government opening up community clinics for aged workers, regardless of their age, to receive Pfizer.
It's estimated that between 70 and 80 per cent of Tasmania's aged care workforce of about 8500 staff have already received at least one dose of the vaccine.
However, exact numbers are not known.
Under the latest plan, the federal government will provide $11 million to cover paid leave for workers having vaccinations.
It means aged care facilities will be compensated for staff who need to go off site for a vaccination, or become unwell as a result and don't have leave entitlements.
Ms Shepherd said some aged care facilities had reported 100 per cent vaccination rates, but there was still a lot of uncertainty around what the mandate will mean for staff members who have "legitimate health reasons" not to get vaccinated.
She also credited the state government for stepping up where the Commonwealth had failed.
"If that hadn't happened, we would be in an even worse position than we are now," she said.
"The federal government haven't even acknowledged that they failed aged care workers in this roll-out.
"Instead, they are making it out like it's the fault of the workforce that everyone isn't vaccinated."
On Tuesday State Health Commander Kathrine Morgan-Wicks implored all Tasmanian aged care workers to come forward for a vaccine.
She said an online portal launched by the federal government to keep track of workforce vaccination rates remained a "work in progress", but that Tasmanian authorities would continue to assist aged care facilities with the roll-out.
"We will continue to work directly with them," she said.
"We know every single facility in Tasmania and we are working with a couple of providers .. . particularly where they need us to in-reach again to vaccinate their workers and assist."
Ms Shepherd said the ANMF had received confirmation from the Health Department who had committed to early consultation regarding the Public Health order, which will be required to enforce the Commonwealth vaccine decision.
"It is likely this will be several weeks away," she said.
What do you think? Send us a letter to the editor:
Jessica Willard
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
