In early February, Western Health established a COVID Command Centre and took a team of experts offline to assist in developing an emergency response to COVID 19. This team, led by Nicole Davies, has delivered this piece of work. They have enabled Western Health to have a clear emergency response plan that is specific to COVID 19. It articulates how we can respond to a surge in demand across all areas of our organisation – from the emergency department, to intensive care, paediatrics to our older population.
In addition to this specific surge plan, the team have refreshed our Pandemic Plan – to take the learnings and new developments from COVID preparation and apply those to any pandemics we may face in the future.
The COVID team has also supported the establishment of new clinical and organisational guidelines, all of which needed to be developed at pace, often with a changing external environment and evidence as the rapidly evolving pandemic that is COVID 19 continually challenged us to adapt and be ready. This included PPE guidelines, guidelines for visitor management, workforce guidelines and changing clinical pathways of care.
As this work wraps up, I would like to thank the exceptional leadership and commitment provided by Nicole and the team to deliver all of this in such short time frames and under such a challenging situation.
I feel confident that we are now as ready as we can be in terms of our emergency response and it is now time for a new phase. This one is an interim phase, our ‘new normal’, a phase that monitors and responds to the existing risk of COVID 19 in the community, whilst ensuring we provide care to our community for their ongoing COVID and non-COVID needs.
It is important now that we continue to provide a safe environment for our staff, our patients and our community and that requires close monitoring of the risk of COVID 19 whilst simultaneously expanding our service again, ensuring all patients have access to the care they need.
To support this phase of work a new team has been established, led by Kate Cranwell. Kate has recently been charged with the leadership of Sunshine and Sunbury Respiratory Assessment Clinics (COVID screening clinics) and will be the single point of contact for Western Health’s COVID response going forward.
Some members of the initial COVID response team will stay on to support Kate as we transition through this interim ‘new normal’ phase and some components of the COVID response will become business as usual. For example, any positive patients or case exposures will be investigated by the Infection Prevention and Infectious Diseases team. We have made the decision that the COVID Command Centre can be stood down at this stage and can be reactivated if required into the future.
I look forward to working with all of you over the next 6 to 12 months in our ‘new normal’ – the phase where we balance the ongoing and fluctuating presence of COVID 19 within our community and health service whilst re-engaging in the full suite of clinical services and activities that our community want and need.
Kind regards,
Natasha
COVID-19 Daily Summary
• Respiratory Assessment Clinic presentations yesterday: Sunshine – 167; Sunbury – 100
• Numbers of individuals tested for COVID-19 at Western Health to date: 10,420
• Numbers of individuals tested positive to date: 105
• Numbers of current inpatients with COVID-19: 1
Regular inpatient screening
Regular screening of all inpatients for new COVID-19 symptoms will enhance our ability to rapidly identify and manage any patient who may be asymptomatic on admission, but then develop any COVID-19 symptoms during their hospital stay.
COVID-19 risk screening has now been included as a component of the Comprehensive Care risk screening process. Identification of any symptoms will be a trigger to indicate testing and isolation may be required.
The COVID-19 symptom risk screens (adult and paediatric/neonatal) are live in the EMR and must be undertaken at least once every shift.
The assessment is very brief, and if the response to any question is ‘yes’, a medical review to assess whether COVID 19 testing is indicated.
COVID staff enquiry line
Western Health is seeking to respond as quickly as possible to enquiries from staff regarding the current COVID-19 Pandemic. Enquiries should now be directed to the staff clinic via email at whscovid-19staffclinicenquiries@wh.org.au.
You will receive a response to your enquiry within 24 hours.
To enable us to contact you, you must include the following information in your email:
• Your full name
• Your role and area of work
• Your mobile phone number.
To assist us with responding to enquiries in a timely way, please specify in the subject line of your email if your enquiry relates to one of the following categories:
• Travel
• Exposure
• Results
Research on impact of COVID-19 on clinical staff
Western Health is conducting a study, in partnership with Deakin University, about the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on clinical staff.
All nursing, midwifery, medical and allied health staff are invited to complete a brief (15 minute) anonymous survey about the impact that the pandemic is having on their personal, social and work lives as well as their mental health.
The findings will be used to inform health service responses to the current and future outbreaks of infectious diseases and other ‘crises’/adverse events.
Everyone who completes a survey will go in the draw to win one of three $50 gift vouchers.
You can access the survey here.