Hi everyone,
Apologies for the lateness of today’s bulletin. There will be a detailed bulletin tomorrow, but a couple of key reminders for tonight.
The Department of Health provide advice specific to Health Services on current COVID risk and relevant restrictions. Last night, we received advice that health services are to move to “COVID Peak”. For us at Western Health this means small changes, as we have been gradually shifting towards this in recent days to ensure the safety of our staff and patients.
Further information about COVID Peak settings can be found here.
Tea rooms, staggered breaks
Any area of the organisation where you remove your PPE is an area of increased risk. Tea rooms are one such area where staff will remove their PPE to eat meals and have a drink- and this is an area of risk.
We are asking each and every staff member to:
- Complete the breakroom logs each and every time they use a tea room. This is essential to ensure effective contact tracing can be conducted by the Infection Prevention team, so we ask staff to record to the minute when they entered and left tea rooms.
- Ensure density limits are not exceeded and where possible, try to keep numbers in the rooms below the density limits. One way of doing this is via staggering breaks.
- Adhering to safe use of tea rooms and break areas as outlined in the Use of Break and Rest Areas QRG.
The daily attestations
Completion of daily attestations is a requirement of all staff. In addition to security checking completion at entry points, managers will also be monitoring completion. We request staff cooperation and support by completing these prior to commencing your shift.
Staff who fail the attestation will be directed to contact their manager to discuss their situation or to contact Covid-19 Staff Enquiries at whscovid-19staffclinicenquiries@wh.org.au for a risk assessment.
PPE
Across Western Health all staff in all clinical areas must continue to wear a P2/N95 mask and eye protection (face shield preferably). A surgical mask is required in all other areas of the organisation.
Authorised worker permits
A reminder that Western Health staff can use their photo ID badge as evidence of designation as an essential worker.
Further information about the permit system can be found here.
I want to acknowledge and say thanks for the commitment each member of staff at Western Health demonstrates each and every day. I have heard and observed many instances where staff have gone out of their way to assist patients, make contact with family members who are unable to visit or support each other through what is a very testing time for most of us, both within work and outside of it.
Thank you.
Natasha