Chief Executive COVID-19 Update: 19 January 2022

Coronavirus (COVID-19) update – 19 January 2022

As of today, we have: 

• 244 COVID-19 positive inpatients
• 261 employees with COVID-19 
• 50 employees in precautionary quarantine
• 103 employees who are primary close contacts and working under public health exemption

In this update, we cover: 

• Department of Health calls system-wide Pandemic Code Brown
• Introducing the Be Well program
• Pop up vaccination clinic for your children
• Welcoming our new interns
• New leave arrangements
• Changes to furlough for close contacts
• Surveillance testing/furloughing is not required for 30 days after positive test result
• Reporting your positive COVID-19 test result
• Mandatory third COVID-19 vaccine doses
• Changes to visitation 
• After hours coffee

Pandemic Code Brown takes effect today at midday

Victoria’s health system is experiencing increasing pressure resulting from a combination of furloughed workforce, rapidly-rising COVID-19 hospitalisations, and ongoing treatment for patients with urgent and emergency needs.

To assist health services in managing an imminent COVID-19 peak, the Department of Health has called a co-ordinated Pandemic Code Brown which is expected to be in place for four to six weeks.  Alongside other metropolitan public hospitals, I will activate our Pandemic Code Brown at midday today and you will accordingly hear a number of announcements across our health service.

A Code Brown is a formal emergency management structure that aims to make the best use of health service resources in a face of an external emergency. It supports us to make required changes to the way we operate and sends a strong message to the community that we are under pressure and need to save our emergency response to those with the greatest need.

A co-ordinated approach allows health services to work together to prioritise resources, redistribute demand across the system and manage workforce shortages.

I believe that Monash Health is very well placed to continue to manage and respond to the surge in patient demand as the Omicron outbreak grows.  This is thanks to the excellent work that has already been done and the progressive implementation of our COVID-19 response plan

As part of our plan, we will retain responsibility for clinical and operational decisions that affect our patients and communities, including reducing or ceasing non-urgent care to redeploy employees to areas of highest clinical priority where required.

Over the coming weeks, we may ask more of you to work in a different area to your usual place of work. If that happens, it is because your skills and support are needed elsewhere.

We will continue to consult with our people leaders and teams to ensure we address workforce needs or shortages as they arise. Although we may ask some team members if they are willing to postpone or cancel annual leave, we are not mandating all employees on leave return to work at this time and we hope that we do not ever get to that point.

To support the co-ordinated Pandemic Code Brown, the Department of Health will establish a new Health Service Response Centre. The Centre will have an overarching view of the hospital system to co-ordinate patient flow and support decisions around reconfiguration and, in some cases, cessation of services. This centralised model will ensure our efforts are co-ordinated alongside the state response and that we can quickly escalate issues for resolution.

I appreciate the announcement of a state-wide Code Brown may feel dramatic, but I want to reassure you that it does not signal a significant shift occurring at 12 noon today. Rather, it enables us to continue to make the changes needed to provide care in this changing environment as they are required.

Our Code Brown Pandemic Response will be managed through our Tier structure that has served us well over the past two years and communicated through the Daily Operating Rhythm structure, Chief Executive Updates, COVID-19 website, and Employee Forums.

I again want to thank all of you for what you have done over the past two years and particularly the last month.  None of us want to be in the position that we are now in.  It is, however, thanks to the professionalism, resilience and kindness of the Monash Health team that we are able to ensure we provide the very best service and care that we can.  And thank-you to the many of you who have already worked in different areas to normal, to those who have already postponed leave and also to those who have retuned to work to support their colleagues under a public health exemption.  It is truly a privilege to work alongside you all.  Thank-you.

Be Well – Monash psychologists supporting Monash teams

Be Well is an expansion of the Call a Psychologist program. Team leaders can reach out to Be Well for team check‐ins, for support following a critical event, for strategies to promote mentally healthy teams and to facilitate team wellbeing sessions.  Individual employees who think support would be useful can ask their managers to contact the Be Well team. Read more about Be well here.

I thank Chief Psychologist, Christine Miller, and her team for their leadership in helping us all navigate this tough time.

Please also remember to stay connected to the latest information through our various fora, follow the latest advice and reach out to your manager, colleagues, or the Monash Health employee wellbeing resources if you need assistance at any time.

Pop-up vaccination clinic at MMC for employees’ children this weekend

To support employees and their families access COVID-19 vaccinations for children, Monash Health will run a ‘pop-up’ vaccination clinic for 5 to 11 year olds on Saturday 22 January and Sunday 23 January at Clinic D, Monash Medical Centre.

The children’s pop-up vaccination clinic will be available only to employees’ children aged 5 to 11 years.

Bookings are available now. To book, employees can call the Monash Health COVID-19 Bookings Hotline on (03) 8572 2156 from 8am to 4:30pm (Monday to Friday).

For further information, please read more here: https://coronavirus.monashhealth.org/latest-news/2022/01/18/covid-19-vaccinations-for-employees-5-to-11-year-old-children/

Welcoming our new interns

It is my pleasure to welcome 106 first-year junior doctors, who began their 12-month internship with Monash Health last week. They join two part-time interns who commenced in 2021 and will be deployed across several Monash Health sites.

Over the next year they will move through a variety of specialities including ED, surgery, medicine, and psychiatry. Many will undertake a term at a rural site.

My congratulations and big welcome to you all. You will certainly learn rapidly at this unique time.

And also congratulations also to our Intern of the Year, Dr Nisal Punchihewa, who is currently on rotation at Dandenong Hospital Emergency Department.

At the Junior Medical Staff and Monash Doctors Teaching Excellence Awards on Friday, Dr Anjali Mardolkar was named HMO of the year and you can read more about the talented award winners from across the organisation on the intranet.  Congratulations to all award winners. Your efforts and commitment to get to this point are quite extraordinary.

Thank you.

Andrew Stripp

Chief Executive

Key Messages

New leave arrangements  

There are new arrangements for paid special leave and how it applies to COVID-19 positive employees, those caring for COVID-19 positive household members, or a close contact who is isolating.

Paid special leave of up to seven days will be available for:

• any employee who tests positive to COVID-19
• employees who are caring for a COVID-19 positive person in your household
• those who are a close contact and are unable to work under the public health order exemption.

After seven days, you will be expected to use your accrued personal leave or other leave entitlements.

If you are positive for COVID-19, you are not required to provide a medical certificate, but you should provide proof of your positive test result (either RAT or PCR).

For those entitled paid special leave, managers should use the Kronos code Special Pd LVE – COVID.

We are waiting for further advice from the department about any retrospective changes to leave and will update the COVID-19 website accordingly.

Changes to furlough requirements for close contacts

Asymptomatic healthcare workers who are close contacts are now exempt from quarantine requirements for the purpose of attending work.   This is an important measure that balances the risk of cross infection, employee wellbeing and the need for people to be at work during these challenging times.  I again want to thank the many of you who have already taken up this option to support our health service and your colleagues.

If you are a close contact and do not have any symptoms of COVID-19, you may return to the workplace under the following conditions:

• You must notify your manager and the Monash Health Employee Hotline (8572 5610 7am to 8pm – seven days a week) that you are a close contact. The Hotline will provide you with advice on testing and PPE.
• You must travel directly to and from your self-quarantine location to work, minimising contact with other people. You must not use carpooling and, where possible, avoid public transport.
• You must undertake daily COVID-19 rapid antigen testing (RAT) and return a negative result before commencing your shift for six days following notification as a close contact (testing is required only on the days you are working).
• For these six days you must also wear an N95 at all times when required to wear a face covering, (except if consuming medicine, food or drink).
• You must not enter shared break areas.

Surveillance testing/furloughing not required for 30 days after positive test result

If you test positive for COVID-19, surveillance testing/furloughing is not required for 30 days following your positive test result. Current advice is that reinfection does not occur within 30 days.

Reporting your positive COVID-19 test result

Please ensure you complete the online COVID-19 Positive Notification Form as soon as you receive a positive COVID-19 test result, either via PCR or RAT.

If you received a positive result using a RAT, you will also need to notify the Department of Health using their COVID-19 Positive Rapid Antigen Test Self-Reporting Form.

Mandatory third COVID-19 vaccine doses

Under a new pandemic order (Mandatory Vaccination (Specified Facilities) Order), healthcare and aged care workers must get their third (booster) COVID-19 vaccine dose in order to continue working at a care facility.

This requirement applies to all employees; clinical and non-clinical, casuals, administrative teams, volunteers, students, contractors, those working wholly or partially from home and those on long-term leave (who will need to be vaccinated before returning to work).

Healthcare Workers

• For workers who became fully vaccinated on or before 12 September 2021, the deadline is 12 February 2022.
• For workers who became fully vaccinated after 12 September 2021, the deadline is 29 March 2022.

Aged Care Workers

• For workers who became fully vaccinated (two doses) on or before 12 September 2021, the deadline is 12 February 2022.
• For workers who became fully vaccinated after 12 September 2021, the deadline is 1 March 2022.

If you have not yet received your third dose (booster), please make a booking today – you can call 1800 675 398 or book your appointment using the online booking portal.

If you have already received your third (booster) dose at Monash Health

If you have received your third (booster) dose at a Monash Health clinic while a Monash Health employee, you do not need to take any further action.

If you were vaccinated at a Monash Health clinic before commencing employment with us, you must provide evidence using the COVID-19 Vaccination Evidence Form.

If you have received your third (booster) dose elsewhere

If you did not receive your third (booster) dose at a Monash Health clinic, you must provide evidence using the COVID-19 Vaccination Evidence Form.

Changes to visitation

Following a new pandemic order (Visitors to Hospitals and Care Facilities Order), further visitor restrictions have been applied to our hospitals and aged care settings – reflecting the vulnerable nature of patients and residents in these facilities.

After hours coffee van for Clayton, Casey and Dandenong

Thrilled Coffee is now providing an after-hours coffee van service at Clayton campus, Dandenong Hospital and Casey Hospital for our employees on night-shift.

The new coffee van will offer coffee, tea, hot chocolate, chai and some assorted pastries and snacks. Please see details of the times and locations you can visit.