With COVID infections and hospitalisations reducing and modelling predicting a continued downward trend, we continue to review all our settings.
As a Health Service and high-risk setting, we will continue to apply precautions to protect our patients, workforce and community.
In line with the National Cabinet’s announcement, isolation periods for COVID-19 positive cases in the community have now been reduced from seven to five days if you have no symptoms on day five. However, seven days isolation remains for workers in high-risk settings and that includes Monash Health.
Outlined below are the updates that came into effect at Monash Health on Monday 12 September.
Changes for employees
Employee return to work requirements:
- Employees who test positive for COVID-19, can only return to work after 7 days and if they are asymptomatic.
Employee mask requirements:
- For patient-facing areas, the requirement to wear an N95 mask remains.
- For public-facing areas, only surgical masks are required, this includes clinical areas, waiting rooms, cafes, and shared corridors.
- For non-public-facing areas, masks are no longer required if the employee is asymptomatic, this includes shared office spaces and non-public facing corridors and areas
- For those employees who haven’t had a flu vaccination, you are required to wear an N95 mask while on site and take meal breaks alone.
Employee face to face meetings and training can resume if:
- No symptomatic attendees.
- Attendee numbers appropriate for the room space and physical distancing requirements maintained (1.5 m distance) if possible.
- External (non-Monash) attendees require permission to attend clinical areas and must follow visitor guidelines including surgical mask on entry to service.
- Inside meeting rooms, face masks can be removed if physical distancing is maintained.
- Hand hygiene should be available.
Where these conditions cannot be met, continue to consider alternative meeting options such as MS Teams, Webex and phone.
Sharing food guidance:
Sharing food remains a transmission risk for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. We ask that hand hygiene methods are followed, always opt for individually wrapped food and avoid communal bowls or plates.
Kitchen and meal time reminders:
- Wash hands before and after preparing food
- BYO crockery and cutlery
- Clean surfaces and appliances after use
- Wash hands before and after eating food
- Don’t share food that is in communal bowls or plates (for example, chips, platters, lolly jar etc.)
PPE requirements:
- We continue to assess our PPE guidelines for employees to ensure they remain appropriate to the level of infection risk in the community. We will share new PPE guidelines in the coming weeks.
Keep up to date with all the latest changes for employees on our Changes to how we work webpage.
Changes for patients
Patient clearance requirements:
- Clearance for COVID positive patients, remains the same with a minimum clearance of 7 days.
Patient mask requirements:
- With the exception of those in the emergency department, patients are no longer required to wear an N95 mask when outside of their room, instead they can wear a surgical mask.
- Patients in the emergency department waiting room, must continue to wear an N95 mask.
Patient asymptomatic testing:
- Asymptomatic testing, will remain for all transfers to Kingston.
- Asymptomatic testing, will remain for overnight admissions.
Patient face to face group therapies can resume if:
- No symptomatic attendees.
- Attendee numbers appropriate for the room space and physical distancing requirements maintained (1.5 m distance) if possible.
- All patients, visitors and carers aged 8 years and over must wear a surgical mask.
- All employees meeting with patients must wear an N95 mask in line with employee mask requirements (outlined above).
- Hand hygiene should be available.
Where these conditions cannot be met, continue to consider alternative group therapy options such as MS Teams, Webex and phone.
Changes for visitors
Visitor isolation requirements:
- Visitors, carers and loved ones who have tested positive for COVID-19, are unable to visit until day 7 and if they are asymptomatic.
Visitor mask requirements:
- Surgical mask (no longer N95) required when entering our health service.
- Visitors or carers entering our emergency department, must continue to wear an N95 mask.
Visitor restrictions:
- For adult patients (not ICU) they can now have two visitors per day, visiting one at a time, for an unlimited time but within designated visiting hours and within appropriate density limits.
- You can view our current visiting guidance here.
- The updated visitor restrictions and entry requirements posters can be downloaded from the Advice for screening teams webpage.
Approved by Professor Rhonda Stuart.