Chief Executive COVID-19 Update: 21 January 2022

Coronavirus (COVID-19) update – 21 January 2022

As of today, we have: 

• 255 COVID-19 positive inpatients
• 243 employees with COVID-19 
• 54 employees in precautionary quarantine
• 99 employees who are primary close contacts and working under public health exemption

In this update, we cover: 

• Latest on the Pandemic Code Brown
• COVID-19 vaccine third dose (booster) interval reduced to three months
• New COVID-19 leave arrangements
• Pop-up vaccination clinic for your children
• Update to movement of employees during COVID-19
• Surveillance testing/furloughing is not required for 30 days after a positive test result
• Reporting your positive COVID-19 test result
• Be Well – Monash psychologists supporting Monash teams
• Mandatory third COVID-19 vaccine doses
• Patient Experience Concierge service now available at Clayton and Dandenong
• Coming soon to Casey Hospital: new demountable units
• Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) move to Casey Hospital temporarily deferred until April 2022

Latest on the Pandemic Code Brown

As we close in on the two-year anniversary since Monash Health cared for Australia’s first COVID-19 patient, I’m continually impressed by what we have and continue to achieve as we manage the pressures of this pandemic.

Entering the latest stage of our response, Code Brown, we are well-positioned. We have been steadily working on our plans for increasing patient numbers and what we need to do differently to manage this peak.

Monash Health’s Code Brown Pandemic Plan can be found on PROMPT. The Plan outlines the principles, objectives, systems and processes to assist Monash Health to continue to provide healthcare services in a dynamic environment. 

There is a lot of work happening to support these changes and we will be asking our people to work where they are needed most. We are moving rapidly, and it is challenging for us all, but I am confident we will face this next four to six weeks with our usual tenacity and kindness.

Our plans and the Code Brown status will be reviewed every day through our tiered system of operational meetings to ensure we are staying in front of the demand for beds. From this week, these meetings will move to a seven-day model to support clinical needs and respond rapidly. Decisions will be communicated through our Daily Operating Rhythm structure, Chief Executive Updates, COVID-19 website, and Employee Forums.

I would like to thank our private hospital partners who have been working collaboratively with us to provide medical and surgical ward beds and some ICU capacity. They have also already picked up a number of category one surgical cases to create capacity.

I flagged the other day that we will ask some of our colleagues to work in different areas of our health service, and many people are already putting their hands up. We will be sharing further opportunities to work in different roles to help our Code Brown response in the coming days.

Although we may ask some team members if they are willing to postpone or cancel annual leave, we are not requiring people on leave to return to work.

COVID-19 vaccine third dose (booster) interval reduced to three months

The interval for COVID-19 vaccine third doses (boosters) has been reduced to three months. As of 19 January 2022, if you are aged 18 years or over and you had your second dose three or more months ago, you are now due for your third dose.

Under the recently released pandemic orders, all healthcare and aged care workers are required to have a mandatory third (booster) dose of COVID-19 vaccination. So, if you haven’t yet received your third dose, please make a booking today. Visit the COVID employee website to learn more. And take advantage of the walk-in pop-up vaccination clinics in January for employees only.

Professor Rhonda Stuart outlined the importance of third (booster) doses at the Premier’s press conference during the week, emphasising the importance of protection against Omicron.

Over half of our healthcare workers have already taken this step, so please make a booking for your booster as soon as you are eligible.

New COVID-19 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 to paid special leave, managers should use the Kronos code Special Pd LVE – COVID.

These leave arrangements will be effective from 1 January 2022. You can read more on the COVID website for employees. 

Thank you for the important work you are doing. I want to particularly call out those who are close contacts and have elected to return to work under the new public health guidelines. Your commitment typifies what I am seeing across our organisation.

Thank you.

Andrew Stripp

Chief Executive

Key Messages

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 2022 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.

Movement of employees during COVID-19

New guidance for the movement of workers across and within and/or between health services has been released.

This guidance covers doctors, nurses, midwives, allied health, paramedics, medical and health professional students undertaking clinical placements, personal care attendants, assistant or delegate workforces, clerical staff, patient service assistants, security, cleaners and food service staff and includes:

• Movement within and between health services
• Movement between residential aged care facilities OR a residential aged care facility and a health service

Read the updated guidance here.

Surveillance testing/furloughing is not required for 30 days after a 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 also need to notify the Department of Health using their COVID-19 Positive Rapid Antigen Test Self-Reporting Form.

Be Well – Monash psychologists supporting Monash teams

We are responding to your calls for more psychological, emotional, and practical support in the workplace with the ‘Be Well’ program, in which our own Monash Health psychologists deliver team-based support.

Be Well is an expansion of the Call a Psychologist program for teams. 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.

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.

Patient Experience Concierge service now available at Clayton and Dandenong

The Patient Experience team established a new Patient Experience Concierge Service at Monash Medical Centre and Dandenong Hospital this week.

With tightened visitor restrictions, the new concierge service will ensure our patients have fast and easy access to the items they need and want.

The concierge service will be available Monday to Friday, from 10am to 6pm, and employees are encouraged to inform their patients of this service. Read more

Coming soon to Casey Hospital: new demountable units

We are pleased to announce that planning is underway for a unique expansion to Casey Hospital using temporary patient bays.

While still in its early stages, the plan involves the installation of demountable units featuring 10-12 patient bays (with resuscitation capabilities) in specially-designed ‘cubes’ adjacent to Casey’s Emergency Department.

With the addition of these innovative demountable units – scheduled for completion later this year – Casey Hospital will increase its acute Emergency Department capacity for both its COVID and non-COVID patients.

Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) move to Casey Hospital temporarily deferred until April 2022

While we continue to focus on the rapid changes and adjustments as part of our COVID-19 response, we have decided that now is not the right time to introduce further changes to our Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) and ambulance service. As a result, we will temporarily defer moving the CCU to Casey Hospital until April 2022.

We appreciate the patience, co-operation and understanding of the employees affected by this change and look forward to transitioning the CCU to Casey Hospital once we are out of this challenging phase of our COVID-19 journey.