Revealed: The staff vaccination rates of every aged care home on the north shore

New data has revealed the vaccination rates for staff across every aged care facility on the north shore, including two homes in which only half are fully vaccinated.

David Barwell

4 min read

August 25, 2021 - 3:05PM

North Shore Times

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New data has revealed a mixed bag of Covid vaccination rates in the north shore’s aged care facilities with less than half of staff at some homes in the region yet to receive a single jab.

The Department of Health has published a map of vaccination rates in residential aged care workers in a push to drive up immunisation rates and stop the spread of Covid-19 among the most vulnerable.

The figures show 10 facilities on the north shore have recorded staff vaccination rates of between 90 to 100 per cent including four aged care homes operated by Uniting.

Pathways Sailors Bay had one of the highest vaccination rates.

At Archbold House Aged Care in Roseville, where a Covid-19 case was reported in a staff member earlier this month, the vaccination rate is 80 to 89 per cent.

But the figures show some aged care facilities are also lagging behind with two facilities recording staff vaccination rates at 40 to 49 per cent, and a further seven at 50 and 59 per cent according to the published data.

Bupa Willoughby – which recorded one of the lowest staff vaccination rates on the map – said an onsite vaccination clinic was launched last week and vaccination rates have now improved.

Bupa managing director Suzanne Dvorak said the figures for the facility published by the Department of Health were more than a week old.

James Milson Village in North Sydney.

“As of today, the vaccination rate for our team members at Bupa Willoughby is 93%, which includes those who have received either one or both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine,” she said.

“Bupa is currently rolling out its own pop-up clinics to boost vaccination rates among team members across Australia. These on-site clinics began last week following approval via the Federal Government tender process with first doses of Pfizer provided to those team members who have yet to receive their first vaccination at 52 of our 63 homes so far, nationally.

“This includes our clinic at Willoughby which ran on 18 August.”

A spokesman for HammondCare Wahroonga, where 50% to 59 per cent of staff had recorded at least one dose as of August 3, said frontline care staff at the home are now 100 per cent vaccinated with at least one dose.

“Federal Government data released this week does not reflect today’s status for vaccination rates across our homes,” he said.

“HammondCare is confident all our frontline aged care staff will have at least one dose prior to the September 17 deadline and is taking urgent action, including offering in-reach clinics, to help staff get vaccinated.”

Bupa St Ives.

The figures come after national cabinet mandated that all aged care employees must be vaccinated with at least the first dose from September 17 in order to work in aged care facilities.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said “rapid in-reach roving clinics” have also been launched to target aged care facilities with residents and workers not yet vaccinated in outbreak areas across NSW, Victoria and Queensland.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 262 coronavirus outbreaks in aged care homes across Australia with a total of 2134 confirmed cases in residents and 2315 in staff.

FULL LIST OF STAFF VACCINATION RATES AT NORTH SHORE AGED CARE HOMES

Source: Department of Health

Willoughby Retirement Community Hostel