CORONAVIRUS —
RESIDENTIAL AGED-CARE FACILITIES
468. Hon NICK GOIRAN to the parliamentary secretary representing
the Minister for Health:
I refer to the distressing number of
residents that have died after contracting coronavirus at the Newmarch House
aged-care facility in western Sydney.
(1) How many
residents have tested positive to COVID-19 in Western Australian residential
care facilities?
(2) How many staff at those
facilities have tested positive?
(3) As the
government gradually lifts restrictions in our state, what specific measures
have been put in place to protect our
elderly Western Australians and mitigate against a Newmarch House–type
cluster occurring?
Hon ALANNA CLOHESY
replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) Two residents.
(2) Three staff.
(3) The
Communicable Diseases Network Australia has issued national guidelines for the
prevention, control and public health management of COVID-19 outbreaks in
residential care facilities in Australia. They are titled ''National Guidelines''. In addition, the ''Visitors
to Residential Aged Care Facilities Directions (No 2)'' issued
under the WA Public Health Act 2016 prescribes directions for the purpose of
limiting the spread of COVID-19 in residential aged-care facilities in Western Australia.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak was declared,
the Western Australian government has provided consistent and regular public
health messaging in relation to preventive measures in RACF. The State
Health Incident Coordination Centre is currently developing statewide COVID-19
outbreak management plans, including a plan for outbreaks at RACF. This plan
will incorporate recommendations from the Newmarch House outbreak investigation
report, when such a report becomes available.