Keeping our community safe

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives, but it hasn’t changed KinCare’s commitment to ensuring the health and safety of Customers and staff.

We know many people have questions about what we are doing to keep our community safe, whether that’s our Customers, their families or our staff. We want to assure you that we are doing our absolute best to support the health and safety of everyone – while also continuing to deliver the highest quality of care to our Customers.

Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, KinCare has implemented rigorous policies and procedures in response to the pandemic. These plans have ensured the health and safety of our Customers and staff, and enabled continuous delivery of the essential services we provide to elderly Australians in the community.

With constantly evolving health advice, we regularly update our safety protocols, service provision models, and the information we provide to Customers and staff. We are in constant contact with the Department of Health to ensure we have the latest advice.

Our new Mandatory Vaccination Policy
KinCare fully supports the national vaccination roll-out and achieving the highest possible COVID-19 vaccine uptake. With this in mind, our Senior Leadership Team has decided to adopt a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy to safeguard the health of our staff and their families, our Customers and visitors, and the wider community. This means that vaccination for COVID-19 is now a condition of employment for all KinCare staff.

For many months, we have actively encouraged and supported all staff to get vaccinated as quickly as possible. As a result, the percentage of KinCare staff who were already vaccinated in September 2021 was above the national average. However, the elevated threat we understand the Delta variant poses to our business, Customers and the community has led to the decision to enforce COVID-19 vaccinations for all staff, as KinCare recognise the important role that vaccination plays in reducing the risk of transmission and adverse health outcomes for all Australians.

KinCare’s Senior Leadership Team now believes it is time to go further to minimise risk and protect our staff and Customers from the highly contagious and deadly risks of the Delta variant.

In line with our policy, all staff are now required to have received their first COVID-19 vaccination by 30 November 2021 and have received their second dose vaccination by 20 December 2021, unless their state has a requirement that individuals must be vaccinated by an earlier date.

KinCare believes a fully vaccinated workforce will ensure it can continue to provide safe and effective care services, during the evolving phases of the Government’s National Plan.

If you have any questions about the COVID-19 vaccination and your eligibility, we encourage you and your family to discuss the options with your GP.

Support Line
The Australian Government has established a free COVID-19 Support Line for older people and their families and carers. You can call the free phone line for information and support related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including if you:

• would like to talk with someone about COVID-19 restrictions and the impact it is having on you
• feel lonely or isolated or are worried about a loved one
• have questions about changing your aged care services
• need help to access new care services or essential supplies such as shopping
• have concerns about a friend or family member living with dementia
• would like to arrange a one-off or regular wellbeing check for yourself, or someone else.

The Support Line is open Monday-Friday, except public holidays, from 8:30am to 6pm and can be reached on 1800 171 866.

Remember, your KinCare Customer Care Manager is also available to discuss your in-home care needs or the needs of a loved one.