Read on Twitter
This is appalling, but I have questions.
"Hundreds of Victorian disability homes are still without COVID safety plans, fuelling concerns outbreaks in the sector could quickly escalate into soaring numbers of coronavirus cases" https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/disability-homes-lack-safety-plans-as-union-warns-of-mental-health-toll-20201101-p56agy.html
"Hundreds of Victorian disability homes are still without COVID safety plans, fuelling concerns outbreaks in the sector could quickly escalate into soaring numbers of coronavirus cases" https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/disability-homes-lack-safety-plans-as-union-warns-of-mental-health-toll-20201101-p56agy.html
Life without Barriers and Aruma gave evidence to the #DisabilityRC in August, detailing what they had done during COVID.
[Towards the end, Robbs and Richardson]
https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2020-08/Transcript%20Day%203%20-%20Public%20hearing%205%2C%20Sydney_0.pdf
[Towards the end, Robbs and Richardson]
https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2020-08/Transcript%20Day%203%20-%20Public%20hearing%205%2C%20Sydney_0.pdf
Aruma said that PPE had been an issue at the beginning, but that now "we now have pretty significant stockpiles" (par 20).
LWB said "we chose to have a specific COVID-19 pandemic management plan". Aruma had the same.
LWB said "we chose to have a specific COVID-19 pandemic management plan". Aruma had the same.
Both providers said they hadn't planned for a pandemic before March, but that they had done this once COVID hit.
I'm VERY much not excusing providers here, but this is important context for the Age article.
I'm VERY much not excusing providers here, but this is important context for the Age article.
It's totally probable that an organisation wide plan didn't filter down well to individual group homes, and that workforce issues (casualisation, lack of training etc) that already exist make this issue worse.
But this knowledge isn't separate from ALL that has come before about what COVID has been like for our community, especially for disabled people who live in segregation, such as group homes.
And I'm incredible sad and sorry to hear of the deaths of the three workers.
Lifeline on 131 114
Lifeline on 131 114
And because I've had another coffee so trying to be clearer, the questions are why are these findings different to the evidence given to the DRC? What's gone wrong that disabled people are being left unprotected? What's being done to fix it? @MeljCunningham
