Health workers and health support staff are at risk of COVID-19 transmission because of the nature of the work we perform. Vaccination is the most effective action available for ourselves and our families as well as the people we care for.
Mater People have been exceptional at meeting the challenges of COVID-19 to date, but new variants of the virus continue to emerge and pose serious risk to our health. Vaccination of all Mater People ensures our preparedness for any future surges and protects ourselves, our patients and the community from becoming seriously ill.
Yes.
You can find all the details on the Health and Safety Qualitative Risk Analysis here.
All Mater People who work on Mater sites will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
This includes medical workforce and support staff, Visiting Medical Officers, volunteers, students and all other people who work on our sites.
Am I being forced to receive the COVID-19 vaccine?
No, Mater employees will not be forced to have the vaccine. However, those who do not meet the new vaccination requirements: (completed both doses by October 31) will require an exemption to continue to work in or enter a Mater site.
Mater has arranged COVID-19 vaccination clinics at every Mater hospital in Queensland to ensure this process is easy and convenient for our people.
Your manager encourages you to attend the clinic at your site if you require a first or second dose of the vaccine. You should speak with your line manager to make arrangements to ensure minimal disruption to our services.
If the pop-up clinic at your Mater site is operating at a time that you are not on shift, we encourage you to make arrangements to attend, or to ensure you receive your vaccination from a local GP, pharmacy or community health service within the required time lines.
Please start by speaking with your line manager in the first instance.
Mater can arrange for you to speak with an infectious diseases expert to help address your concerns and provide you with further information. If you would like to take up this offer, please make your request through the email address covid.vaccine@mater.org.au
To continue working in a Mater site, all staff are required to be fully vaccinated by October 31.
Staff who are not fully vaccinated and do not qualify for a vaccination exemption within the timelines will be engaged in further conversations regarding their ability to continue to work on Mater sites. This process will be further outlined in future communications.
Pregnant women are particularly at risk to COVID-19 and are considered a priority group for vaccination to help protect both the mother and the baby from the virus.
There is no evidence COVID-19 vaccination impacts women who are trying to be pregnant and is recommended for both pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers.
As such, pregnancy and breastfeeding are not considered an exceptional circumstance for an exemption to vaccination.
A call/conversation with a Mater expert can be arranged to address any concerns or questions you may have about pregnancy or breastfeeding and the COVID-19 vaccine.
You can read the full statement by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetrician and Gynaecologists regarding different stages of pregnancy here.
Catholic Health Australia and the Bishops Commission for Social Justice, Mission and Service have collaborated on a short video, outlining the importance of people receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. It includes information on the ethical and moral questions around receiving the vaccine, and the need to promote the common good. Click here to watch the video.
You are encouraged to start and progress your vaccination pathway, regardless of whether you are on leave or at work. Vaccination is about your safety and the safety of our community.
You will need to show evidence of your completed vaccination status by 31 October or before returning to work (whichever is sooner).
All employees are able to lodge a claim for workers’ compensation if they suffer an injury or illness as a result of their work. Each claim will be reviewed by WorkCover and assessed according to the criteria used for all workers’ compensation claims.
Mater vaccination clinics administer the Pfizer vaccine with the exception of existing second dose AstraZeneca bookings. This is in line with the recent Queensland Health policy change to provide Pfizer to all people.
The Chief Health Officer’s preference for the Pfizer vaccine, particularly for higher risk groups, is based on the ability to become fully vaccinated faster with Pfizer requiring a shorter time period between the first and second dose compared with AstraZeneca.
If you prefer AstraZeneca for your first dose, we encourage you to attend a GP clinic.
The Moderna vaccine is also available through GPs and pharmacies.
Currently there is no advice from the TGA or ATAGI on boosters. Mater’s current priority is to make sure every eligible person wanting to be vaccinated against COVID-19 has their first and second doses.
Mater staff who do not provide a certificate or who have not received an exemption that allows them to continue working, will not be permitted to work on Mater sites from 1 November. Mater will enter into discussions with you concerning next steps for you and your ongoing employment.
If you have utilised all of your accrued leave, you will be placed on leave without pay until Mater receives your COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate, or until discussions with your manager about your ongoing employment have been successfully resolved.
You will be required to show evidence of your vaccination prior to returning to work.
If you have been vaccinated already – you can upload your vaccination certificate here.
Staff who are unable to access the MyGov certificate for uploading onto the Mater Registry, can upload a copy of their vaccination card.
This will be a temporary measure, but will mark them as compliant at this time. Staff will then need to contact medicare to have a certificate sent to them.
Upload your certificate and it will be reviewed against the ATAGI advice regarding vaccines that are approved / accepted in Australia.
Yes all Mater People need to provide evidence of vaccination prior to commencing with us. Prior to 31 October, all new start employees have been contacted and provided the web link to upload their certificates. All recruitment activities after 31 October, will move this process to being part of the pre-commencement activity for their recruitment process.
No, all Mater People working on Mater sites will need to show evidence of being vaccinated prior to 1 November 2021, regardless of the term of their employment.
Mater staff will need to show evidence of vaccination prior to 1 November 2021. There is no published timeline for the availability for Novavax at this stage, so an exemption to wait for this vaccine will not be possible. We encourage any employee in this category to seek medical advice from their GP or request a conversation with one of Mater’s specialists regarding their wish to wait for a different vaccine than is currently available in Australia.
Yes please. The Mater register is not connected to any other organisation, so we need to have our own records.
Yes please. The Mater register is not connected to any other organisation, so we need to have our own records.