The COVID-19 pandemic continues to shift rapidly, with a dramatic worldwide spread and increasing local transmission.
In response to this, the Victorian Government has extended the State of Emergency in Victoria until the 19 July 2020. Some restrictions that were scheduled to be eased have been tightened again due to an increase in Victorian case numbers. These include the numbers of visitors you can have in your home being reduced to five and the outdoor gatherings reduced to a maximum of ten people. Restrictions can be viewed here.
In light of this, Western Health has reviewed our own internal processes and recommendations to minimise risk of transmission and ensure you, your families and our patients remain safe.
Firstly, I would like to remind you all to remain vigilant with your physical distancing – no handshakes or hugs, and where possible stay 1.5m apart. Maintain good hand hygiene, don’t share food or drinks, avoid crowds and follow our PPE guidelines. I know that at times this is very challenging, but these actions can make a dramatic impact in minimising community and workplace transmission. In order to maximise our physical distancing, face-to-face meetings must be avoided as far as possible and in-person education training cannot take place at present, unless it is essential.
To the greatest extent possible, staff should be working on only one campus and avoid cross-campus travel. We have also had to withdraw access to further meeting rooms at this time.
Our current visitor restrictions will stay in place. Please note that the DHHS provides minimum guidance on visitor restrictions for hospitals, but each health service is then able to make their own decisions about levels of restrictions which go beyond those limits. At Western Health we currently have in place a stricter set of limits on visitors due to the circumstances in our region. Information on visitor restrictions and clarity on exemptions can be found on the QRG section of the microsite.
Please note that Western Health’s COVID-19 case definition has also been updated today, so please familiarise yourself with that document.
At the request of the Victorian Government, Western Health is managing the opening of a major new Respiratory Assessment Clinic at the Melbourne showgrounds. Preparing for this has been an enormous undertaking for our clinic management teams and I would like to thank them for their response and also acknowledge the support staff from various areas such as infection prevention, ICT and OH&S, who have attended the site to support the setup. All of this has been managed alongside an extremely high volume of testing at our on-site testing clinic at Sunshine Hospital and supporting Sunbury as well. See pictures of the team at the showgrounds below.
We are aware a large number of our staff live in regions currently experiencing higher case numbers, so a reminder that for all staff the message remains the same – if you are experiencing symptoms, no matter how mild, it is critical that you are tested. Please attend the dedicated staff area of our Sunshine Hospital testing clinic and do not attend work if you are unwell.
With the volume of enquiries to the COVID team escalating, we are reinstituting centralised contact points for the team, with details in the bulletin below. For all other Western Health COVID-19 matters, including general enquiries and support, please email coronavirus@wh.org.au and a member of the team will be in touch.
I would like to once again thank everyone involved in Western Health’s extensive COVID planning over the past five months. While it is concerning that the number of cases in our communities has increased recently, please be assured that we have excellent surge plans in place, should they be necessary. I have great confidence in Western Health’s ability to cope with further outbreaks.
Thanks for keeping updated.
Regards
Natasha
COVID-19 Daily Summary
• Respiratory Assessment Clinic presentations yesterday: Sunshine – 197; Sunbury – 146
• Numbers of individuals tested for COVID-19 at Western Health to date: 15,354
• Numbers of individuals tested positive to date: 138
• Numbers of current inpatients with COVID-19: 1
COVID-19 Staff Enquiries
Western Health has a dedicated COVID-19 Staff Enquiries Helpdesk to respond to staff enquiries related to COVID-19. Staff can email or call the Helpdesk directly with questions about the onset of COVID-19 symptoms, exposures to COVID-19 in the community or home, testing criteria, clinic information and results. Managers can also contact the Helpdesk to seek advice about COVID-related matters impacting their staff. Staff confidentiality will be maintained at all times.
Contact information: Email is recommended as the first point of contact where possible. Emails will be responded to within 24 hours. Email address: whscovid-19staffclinicenquiries@wh.org.au
Telephone contact: via Switch 8345 6666, choose option 1 for COVID – then request Staff Enquiries Helpdesk.
Voice care for Telehealth clinicians
Since the April launch we’ve seen a rapid expansion of our Telehealth service, in a great example of how Western Health staff have adapted to new ways of delivering care since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Research has proven that we change our voice when using Telehealth, so our Speech Pathology team has put together a Voice Care Guide which includes tips for good vocal hygiene, warm up and cool down exercises and advice including:
• Sit with good posture. It encourages deep breathing for speech and exerts less strain on the voice box.
• Be aware of the tendency to increase the volume of your voice when providing Telehealth. Try to speak with a normal (moderate) volume, as you would in person.
• Check if your client can hear you well. Help them to turn up the volume on their device instead of increasing the volume of your voice.
To view the Voice Care Guide, and many other valuable Telehealth resources, please visit the Telehealth intranet page.
Alcohol handrub at point of care
We’re pleased to advise that 500ml bottles of alcohol handrub are once again available for every bed. They had previously been removed due to shortages in the early days of the pandemic.
Hand hygiene remains fundamental to infection prevention. Ensuring alcohol-based handrub is available at the point-of-care is known to improve hand hygiene compliance. Dispensers at the bedside act as a visual cue for hand hygiene behaviour, and their strategic and ubiquitous placement makes the product highly accessible for frequent use.
As of July 1, the Infection Prevention (IP) Link group will resume the suite of IP audits according to the Western Health audit schedule including hand hygiene compliance.
Last week version 5 of the Western Health COVID-19 PPE guidelines were released in line with DHHS guidelines, and be found in the QRG section of the microsite. Please find some time to review these new guidelines and accompanying resources. Use PPE wisely and remember self-contamination and the surrounding environment occurs frequently during PPE doffing.
Contact the PPE team at your site if you need additional stock to fill dispensers at the point of care.