Social worker Matilda Bawden banned further after anti-Covid vax slur

An Adelaide social worker who was banned for three months after telling clients she would not see them after they were vaccinated against Covid, has been slapped with another ban.

A social worker from Adelaide’s north who was banned from offering Covid-19 health advice in October has been banned further.

Matilda Bawden was initially banned for 12 weeks on October 13 by the state’s health board, after she excluded recently-vaccinated clients from service.

On Wednesday, the 12-week interim prohibition order – issued against Ms Bawden by the Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner Grant Davies – was extended after further investigation.

Ms Bawden has now been banned from providing all health services, even those non-Covid related.

Assoc Prof Davies said Ms Bawden violated more codes of conduct.

“Providing health services in respect of health education and/or the provision of information relating to any human physical health illness, symptom or condition,” he said.

Last month, Assoc Prof Davies said Ms Bawden wrote emails to clients that spread false claims about the effectiveness of Covid vaccines, and said they were not welcome to receive her services for a month post-vaccination.

She was banned at the time from providing any health services in relation to health education and information about Covid vaccines. She can continue to offer other social work services.

Her ban was the latest in a long line of prohibition orders handed out to health care providers.

Matilda Bawden has been banned from offering Covid advice for three months. Picture: Today Tonight

The email sent by Ms Bawden, saying she would not provide services Covid-vaccinated clients. Picture: ABC

An email provided to the ABC in April detailed that Ms Bawden “suspended services for a month with any service providers, clients, family and friends who are taking the COVID19 (sic) vaccine”.

The email said that “risks” associated with “exposing ourselves” to the vaccine prompted the decision.

“My staff and I will not be exposing ourselves to the risks of shedding as I have family members with auto-immune illnesses and so do many of our clients,” she wrote.

“I also have a family member who was severely vaccine-injured and is at risk of further harm should she contract another infection.”

Associate Professor Grant Davies, Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner Source: Supplied

Assoc Prof Davies reminded practitioners and the community that spreading false information about vaccines was against policy.

“This is the third interim prohibition order we’ve issued about false Covid vaccine

information provided by unregistered health care workers recently,” he said.

“As I have always stated, my primary concern is the safety of members of the South Australian public and therefore, I have decided to investigate this matter as I am concerned about what Ms Bawden has expressed in her emails”.

The commissioner has received more than 50 complaints so far this year relating to practitioners including physical trainers, counsellors, massage therapists and naturopaths.