Chief Executive COVID-19 Update: 27 April

Message from the Chief Executive

In this update, we cover:

• Perth metropolitan area and Peel region update
• Moose Imagination Tree launch
• COVID-19 vaccination declaration
• St John of God COVID-19 vaccination clinic open to employees
• Vaccination update AstraZeneca
• Help improve our care of deteriorating patients – fill out a brief survey
• Get your accreditation resources
• Change to Cleeland Street, Dandenong COVID-19 screening clinic
• Where to get your flu shot on site this week
• Information sharing legislation now in effect
• Have you completed your targeted training?
• Upgrade of Imaging Picture Archive Communication System
• Now is the time for a Give Me Five
• New printers roll out at Monash Health – PIN issued
• EMR Code Upgrade now completed

Perth metropolitan area and Peel region update

From 12:01am, Wednesday 28 April, the Perth metropolitan area and the Peel region in Western Australia will be designated orange zones under Victoria’s travel permit system. People entering Victoria with an orange zone permit must isolate, get a coronavirus test within 72 hours, and stay isolated until they receive a result. If you are awaiting a test result, do not attend work, but please contact your manager and call our COVID-19 Employee Hotline on 9594 5815 (seven days a week, 7am to 7pm).

For the latest, visit the Victorian Travel Permit System website, and recent return travelers should check exposure sites in Victoria, Western Australia and New Zealand.

Screening teams can download updated resources from the Advice for Screening Teams page as part of our COVID-19 website resources.

Moose Imagination Tree launch

Last Friday’s official opening of the Moose Imagination Tree at Monash Children’s Hospital provided a positive, transformative experience for patients and their families. Almost eight years in the making, we are grateful to all who have contributed to its success. Read about this special place and enjoy the image gallery here.

COVID-19 Vaccination Declaration form

If you have been vaccinated for COVID-19 elsewhere or are opting not to be vaccinated, it is important that you let us know for our records. Please complete the declaration form found here.

St John of God COVID-19 vaccination clinic open to Casey Hospital employees

Having safely and efficiently delivered over 2,000 vaccinations to our employees, the Casey Hospital COVID-19 vaccination clinic closed at the end of last week. Thank you to the dedicated team, led by Claire Pierce and Emma West, whose commitment and flexibility contributed substantially to the solid uptake of COVID-19 vaccination at Casey. Based on this success, we now have an opportunity to prioritise the Clinic D space at Casey Hospital for other pressing clinical needs.

The vaccination team at St John of God Berwick Hospital (opposite Casey Hospital) will welcome our employees for their first or second dose of AstraZeneca, with bookings commencing Monday 26 April. Find out more here.

Vaccination update

In keeping with Government guidelines, Monash Health is administering the first and second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to those 50 years of age or over, while those under 50 will receive the Pfizer vaccine. At last Tuesday’s Employee Forum, Professor Rhonda Stuart explained the reasoning behind the different approaches.

This decision, made using a risk-benefit assessment, supports the best course of action for different age groups based on the risks to each from COVID-19. To make the most informed decision using a risk-benefit assessment, we consider the likelihood of the risk from a very rare side effect from the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine versus the risk of contracting severe disease or dying from COVID-19. As we witnessed during the second wave, those in the 50 and older age groups are more susceptible to the effects of COVID-19 than the vaccine, so the AstraZeneca vaccine is suitable. For those under 50, the risk from the vaccine is minimal but slightly higher than contracting COVID-19, so they are being offered the Pfizer vaccine as a precaution to mitigate the minor risk from the vaccine.

Thank you for your continued dedication and enthusiasm for the many and varied programs of work delivered at Monash Health. It makes a world of difference to our patients, families and the community we serve.

Andrew Stripp
Chief Executive

Key messages

Meet our first STAR Award recipients for 2021

This quarter, we will be presenting a STAR Award each week at the Tuesday Employee Forums. Be sure to tune in to hear about more of your colleagues’ outstanding achievements.

At today’s Employee Forum, the first STAR Award winner for 2021 was announced.  The Security team from the Monash Children’s Hospital, winners in the Excellence in Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing category, joined the Forum. Read more about their work here.

Help improve our care of deteriorating patients – fill out a brief survey

Medical emergency recognition and response systems, such as MET teams, are a crucial part of our care for deteriorating patients. To ensure we maintain the most effective approach, please take a few minutes to fill out our brief Medical emergency recognition and response teams survey. The information gained will help us plan and improve care for these vulnerable patients.

Get your accreditation resources

To help you get accreditation-ready, check out our accreditation checklists for doctors, clinicians, non-clinical employees and managers. Remember, many of the actions in these checklists should be undertaken every day and will ensure we continue to deliver safe, timely, effective and person-centred care.

Preparing for accreditation is also about ensuring you feel confident and comfortable when you meet the assessors in June. Use our speaking with assessors guides, including area-specific sample assessor questions for doctors, clinicians, food service employees and environmental services assistants, covering some of the questions assessors may ask during accreditation week (Monday 7 to Friday 11 June 2021).

Find these resources and more on the employee resources page of our Accreditation website. Download them, print them out, discuss them with your teams and pin them on your employee noticeboards.

Change to Cleeland Street, Dandenong coronavirus screening clinic

Our Cleeland Street, Dandenong coronavirus screening clinic closed last Friday as we consolidate our Dandenong screening locations. The drive-through clinic on Carroll Lane, Dandenong, will remain open seven days a week, from 9am to 4pm.

A complete list of Monash Health’s coronavirus screening clinics can be found on our Getting Tested for Coronavirus page.  For all testing locations in Victoria, including live wait times for drive-through sites, visit the Victorian Government’s coronavirus website.  

Where to get your flu shot

Our flu vaccination program is well underway. As a Monash Health employee, you must either receive the vaccine or declare if you’ve had it elsewhere or do not wish to participate.

Monash Health provides free flu vaccines to employees, and Infection Prevention is on-site administering the vaccine now. Read more here. 

Information sharing legislation now in effect

Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVISS) and Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS) legislation have come into effect across Victoria. This critical legislation will help break down silos and barriers to sharing information across organisations and increase the safety of victim-survivors and our wider community. Click here for everything you need to know about the legislation. 

Have you completed your targeted training?

Training is a critical part of delivering safe and effective care to our community. With Accreditation approaching, you must complete your targeted and mandatory training as soon as possible.

Completing your targeted training is now easier than ever. Simply log in to Latte. The targeted training courses and the mandatory courses you are required to complete will be automatically assigned to you and featured under ‘My Required Learning’ on the Latte homepage. Read more here.

Upgrade of Imaging Picture Archive Communication System

In an exciting development for storing patient diagnostic, interventional and therapeutic images, Monash Health Imaging commenced the Imaging Picture Archive Communication System (PACS) upgrade, including the online viewer, Vue Motion, on Saturday 17 April. This system is essential for referring and treating physicians to view patient images both on and off-site. Find out more here.

Now is the time for a Give Me Five

Give Me Five or Annual Performance discussions are essential conversations between you and your manager. They provide an opportunity to clarify expectations, ensure a shared understanding of your goals and aspirations, highlight your progress from previous conversations, identify growth opportunities and plan for the year ahead.

Quality Manager Standards, Audits, Rachel Vogelsang presented at a recent employee forum reminding us to take time for these meaningful discussions. Hear more from Rachel and learn what you need to do to complete your Give Me Five conversation here.

New printers rolled out across Monash Health sites – PIN issued

Monash Health has recently upgraded printers across all sites at Monash Health with a new fleet of printers and MFDs (multifunction devices) equipped with FollowMe print capability. All users will receive an autogenerated email from ricoh@monashhealth.org with details of your six digit PIN. To access printers with card readers, you will need to enter your six digit PIN instead of tapping your card. Learn more here.

EMR Code Upgrade now complete

Enhancements to the EMR were completed on Wednesday 22 April. Of note is that when you first log in to the upgraded system, you will be taken to a new banner page with information about the upgrade and release notes. Find out more here.