Yesterday I took the COVID-19 leadership took the Command Centre team through the Western Health COVID 19 Surge Management Plan, a complex document that covers the full spectrum of service expansion and reduction plans Western Health may be required to progress during this pandemic. I’d like to thank all clinical and non-clinical teams who have been involved in compiling this plan with such painstaking detail.
The Surge Management Plan covers all areas of our hospitals – from emergency departments and intensive care to wards and support services. The plan has key escalation and trigger points that will inform the Incident Management Team of the need to move through the Surge Levels 1-4. Only the Incident Commander in conjunction with the CEO will be able to authorise progression in surge levels and this decision will be informed by workforce and logistics assessments to ensure we are ‘safe and ready to go’.
Further details of the Surge Management Plan will be provided through forums next week. It will be critical to the success of Western Health managing demand through this pandemic that we stick to the plan. It has been carefully devised over two months, informed by department managers and clinical leads and I am confident this is a well-considered and sensible way forward for Western Health.
Thanks for keeping yourself informed.
Regards
Natasha
Sunshine Respiratory Assessment Clinic presentations
Thursday 26 March – 129
Friday 27 March – 108
Saturday 28 March – 80
Sunday 29 March – 51
Monday 30 March – 84
Tuesday 31 March – 73
Wednesday 1 April – 77
Bed management dashboard
Supporting the decision making of the Command Centre is a new bed management dashboard. This dashboard shows current bed occupancy and capacity in real time.
The WH Live Patient Flow Management Dashboard, which will be refreshed every 15 minutes, can be accessed here: Patient Flow Management Power BI Report.
Reduced RAC hours this weekend
The opening hours of Sunshine’s Respiratory Assessment Clinic will be reduced this weekend (Saturday April 4 and Sunday April 5).
The clinic will be open to both staff and the public from 10am-6pm.
Weekday hours remain the same: 8am-10am – staff only; and 10am-10pm – public and staff.
Testing criteria and case definition updated
Last night Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton issued an update on the testing criteria and case definition.
Click here to read the update.
Expanding dialysis capacity
Extra capacity has been created at our dialysis centres for dialysis patients to stay semi-permanently as close as possible to their home.
Enhanced capacity has been created in the Sunshine Hospital inpatient dialysis centre to manage a potential influx of patients requiring dialysis as a consequence of COVID-19.