Monash Health COVID-19 Website | Chief Executive COVID-19 Update: 28 January 2022

Posted at 9:30am on 28 January 2022 in CE Spotlight, COVID-19, iNews, Latest news by Communication and Engagement

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) update – 28 January 2022

As of today, we have:

210 COVID-19 positive inpatients
210 employees with COVID-19
81 employees in precautionary quarantine
85 employees who are in primary close contacts and working under public health exemption

In this update, we cover:

Operations Support
Virtual Emergency Department
Australia Day Honours
Risk Context Guide Updated
N95s required in Emergency Departments, and for visitors, caregivers, support people, and ambulatory patients
Fit testing required for all employee N95 mask use
Declaring your Positive and/or Close Contact COVID-19 status
Asymptomatic close contacts returning to work
Claiming COVID-19 leave entitlements
Inpatient services at Moorabbin Hospital will temporarily remain paused
Collection of clinical waste
Q4 STAR Awards nominees
Mandatory third dose COVID-19 vaccine
Code Brown annotation added to the EMR
Be Well – Monash health psychologists supporting teams
Individual and family support available

With the co-ordinated Pandemic Code Brown now in effect, we continue to activate elements of our plan to respond to patient demand as the Omicron outbreak progresses.

I would like to thank those of you who are working additional shifts or have been reassigned from your usual place of work.

I’m also thankful to our non-clinical employees who have offered to be temporarily reassigned to help reduce the pressure on our clinical teams

Operations Support

We are calling for non-clinical employees who are interested in undertaking a full or partial temporary reassignment to support our frontline colleagues.

As Operations Support, you will support frontline teams in a range of areas. These are not clinical roles but will support both clinical and non-clinical areas.

Remuneration will be as per your substantive role, and you may also be eligible for the Government Hospital Surge Support Allowance, depending on your placement.

You will be fully supported, and your duties drawn from a core activity list that provides practical assistance and functions to our care/support teams. You will be supporting general operations and do not need a clinical background or clinical qualifications.

Your safety is our top priority, so you will be PPE trained and mask fit tested and supported with relevant training or orientation on the job. Our robust infection prevention procedures mean our employees are significantly less likely to contract COVID-19 at work than they are in the community.

If you are interested in undertaking a full or partial temporary reassignment, please talk to your line manager about whether they can release you, and then complete this Expression of Interest form. Further details for team members and managers will be provided shortly.

Clinical team members and Ward clerks

If you work in a clinical area and are able to pick up additional hours over the next four to six weeks while we manage the current surge, your support is very much appreciated. Please talk to your line manager. Overtime is available and will be paid under the rates and conditions of your Enterprise Agreement.

Monash Health Virtual ED service to commence on Monday

Monash Health, Alfred Health and Peninsula Health, working in partnership with Ambulance Victoria (AV) and supported by the Victorian Department of Health, are in the process of launching a virtual Emergency Department service that will operate across Melbourne’s south east.

The Virtual ED triage is a dedicated pathway for AV employees to access the ED team. The service will be provided via telehealth (video and audio) and offered seven days per week, from 12.00pm – 9.00pm.

The roll out will be a progressive one across the three health services, with Monash Health commencing its Virtual ED service on Monday 31 January 2022.

The service will initially only be available for Ambulance Victoria paramedics, allowing them to consult with ED clinicians when determining the most appropriate care for a patient.

It is anticipated that the Virtual ED will contribute to a reduction in presentations to our EDs across Monash Health. The service will also be able to refer patients to other health services within Monash Health, such as Hospital in the Home, COVID pathways or the new High Acuity clinic.

The Monash Health Virtual ED will be operated from Clayton and will field calls from across the Monash Health catchment area.

Congratulations to our people recognised in the 2022 Australia Day Honours List

Congratulations to Professor Richard Harper AM and Colin Dobson who were recognised in the 2022 Australia Day Honours List.

Professor Richard Harper AM, the inaugural Director of Monash Heart, has been awarded Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia for “significant service to cardiology, to medical research, and to professional associations.”

Colin Dobson, the Principal of the Monash Children’s Hospital School, has been awarded with a Public Service Medal for “outstanding public service to education in Victoria”.

You can read about their significant contributions here.

Monash Health’s COVID-19 pandemic response was recognised at the 2022 Holt Australia Day Awards. The award was accepted by Jenny Docherty and Sarah Wipfli, two years on from when Monash Health cared for the first confirmed COVID-19 patient in Australia.

Thank you for the important work you are doing. The professionalism, resilience, and kindness of our team allows us to provide the very best service and care throughout every challenge of the pandemic.

Andrew Stripp

Chief Executive

Key Messages

Keep up to date with latest on Code Brown

We continue to update the COVID-19 employee website as changes and updates relating to the Pandemic Code Brown come to hand. For the latest:

COVID-19 Risk Context Guide – Updated

The updated COVID-19 Risk Context Guide covers a range of situations that visitors, patients, and healthcare workers may encounter and outlines the appropriate action to take to prevent transmission of COVID-19. The document supports our PPE Compulsory Standards and should be used alongside our advice for screening teams.

N95 masks are required in Emergency Departments, and for visitors, caregivers, support people, and ambulatory patients

To reduce transmission risk from people entering the health service, N95s must now be worn by adults (18+) in Emergency Departments, and by visitors, caregivers and support people in all areas of the health service.

Ambulatory patients should wear an N95 if they can tolerate it. Children aged 8-17 must wear a surgical mask.

Visitors, caregivers and support people with mask exemptions, who are unable to wear a mask for the duration of their visit, are unable to enter Monash Health sites until further notice.

Posters for Emergency Departments and Front Entrances can be found here.

Fit testing is required for employee N95 mask use

All employees who are required to regularly wear an N95 should be fit tested, to ensure that the mask you are wearing offers the best possible level of protection.

Fit testing is a process during which a user trials a range of makes, models and sizes of N95 masks to find the most efficient seal for their face. Better fitting masks offer better protection from workplace respiratory hazards, including airborne infectious agents, dust, and other particles.To book your test, please first complete the Fit Testing Consent and Medical Clearance Form. After completing the form, you will be guided to book your fit test.

Please note that if you are coming up to your 12 month re-test, we will fit test new employees first. Please be patient.

Declaring your Positive and/or Close Contact COVID-19 status

You can now declare your COVID-19 positive status or your Close Contact status using our Employee COVID-19 Declaration form. This replaces the previous requirement to call the Employee Hotline.

Find out more about your reporting requirements here.

Asymptomatic close contacts returning to work

Asymptomatic healthcare workers who are close contacts are exempt from quarantine requirements to attend work.

If you are a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and you have no symptoms, please notify your manager, then complete the Employee COVID Declaration form. Our team will then provide advice about testing and isolation requirements.

Testing for asymptomatic close contacts returning to work is via Rapid Antigen Tests, provided at entrances. Please note that these tests are only available for those returning to work under these conditions. You will be asked to provide confirmation from the COVID-19 hotline when collecting your tests.

Claiming COVID-19 leave entitlements

If you were eligible for paid special leave under the new COVID-19 leave arrangements after 1 January 2022, you can claim back your personal leave hours by submitting a Kronos Amendment Form. If an employee is eligible for paid special leave, managers should complete a Kronos Employee Leave Form.

These forms can also be found on the Payroll Services webpage on the Monash Health Intranet by searching ‘Payroll Forms’.

FAQs and details of who is eligible for paid special leave, along with the updated leave types flow chart and Kronos leave codes table are now available on the COVID-19 employee website.

Inpatient services at Moorabbin Hospital will temporarily remain closed

While we continue to focus on the rapid changes and adjustments as part of our COVID-19 Code Brown response, inpatient services at Moorabbin Hospital will temporarily remain closed. We will review and assess this weekly, continuing to base our decisions on inpatient demand, clinical needs and workforce availability across the four key pillars of our COVID-19 response.

We appreciate the patience, co-operation and understanding of the employees affected by this change and who are currently working in different areas to normal. Your efforts and a co-ordinated approach allow us to prioritise resources, redistribute demand across the system and manage workforce shortages.

Collection of clinical waste

Health services across Melbourne, including Monash Health, are experiencing issues with the collection of clinical waste and the delivery of empty clinical waste bins due to capacity and technical issues with the supplier.

This will take several days to return to normal service. While there may be some delays in ward collections and supply of empty bins for wards, our General Services teams have put contingency plans in place to keep areas safe. If you have concerns, please contact General Services at your site.

Congratulations to our Q4 STAR Awards nominees

Thank you to all employees who have recognised their colleagues in Q4 for their ongoing commitment and valuable contribution to Monash Health.

The STAR Awards acknowledge and celebrate individuals and teams who demonstrate their commitment to our guiding principles and values.

Over the next few months, we look forward to highlighting some of these individuals and teams at our weekly employee forums. Read More

Mandatory third COVID-19 vaccine doses

As we continue our fight against COVID-19, a third (booster) dose of vaccination is now mandatory for all healthcare and aged care workers.

To summarise:

If you became eligible for a third dose on or before Wednesday, 12 January 2022 (i.e., you became fully vaccinated on or before 12 September 2021), you have until Saturday 12 February 2022 to get your third (booster) dose.

If you became eligible for a third dose after Wednesday 12 January 2022, you should receive your dose as soon as you become eligible and by:

Tuesday 1 March 2022 if you are an aged care worker, or
Tuesday 29 March 2022 if you are a health care worker.

If you do not meet the requirements listed above, you will not be able to continue working at a care facility in the Victorian health service unless you have a valid medical exemption.

In coming days, information will be sent to those who are not recorded as having a third dose (booster) at this time.

Visit our Employee Vaccination Hub for our FAQs and what to do if you spot missing or incorrect information on your vaccination record.

If you have any other questions regarding the COVID-19 Vaccination Program, please speak with your manager. Alternatively, you can contact the COVID-19 Employee Hotline on (03) 8572 5610 from 7.00am to 8.00pm, seven days per week. COVID-19 vaccination information is also available in many languages.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.

Code Brown annotation added to the EMR

From Friday 28 January 2022, and for the duration of Monash Health’s Pandemic Code Brown response, a Communication order and Code Brown Note will automatically be added to every inpatient episode and Emergency presentation in the EMR.

Be Well – Monash psychologists supporting Monash teams

Monash Health now provides additional psychological, emotional, and practical support services as part of the ‘Be Well’ program, including an expansion of the Call a Psychologist program, for teams delivered by Monash Health psychologists for team-based support.

Team leaders can reach out to Be Well for team check‐ins, support following a critical event, strategies to promote mentally healthy teams and to facilitate team wellbeing sessions.