Chief Executive COVID-19 Update: 28 May

Message from the Chief Executive

As of today, we have:

• No COVID-19 positive inpatients
• One employee with COVID-19 (not acquired at work and no workplace exposure risk)
• 30 employees in precautionary quarantine

In this update, we cover:

• Increased COVID-19 safety precautions
• Deferral of our accreditation assessment
• Vaccination centres
• Employee vaccinations
• COVID-19 testing
• COVID-19 Ward Model of Care
• Staying up to date

A new lockdown began today, which will be difficult for many of us but is a crucial step in controlling the virus. Please be kind to each other and, if you are struggling, reach out for help. We are in this together, and we have a wide range of support available to you.

While none of us wants to be in this position, it is important to remember that we have been here before and we know what to do.

• Stay vigilant with social distancing, hand hygiene and PPE use.
• Stay home if you are sick and get tested.
• Ensure you understand our COVID-19 Model of Care.

As we have done previously, we have increased our safety precautions in line with the level of risk. A wide range of changes have been made across our health service – designed to reduce the risks of COVID-19 transmission, while at the same time providing appropriate care and safety for our patients, employees and visitors.

Adjustments have been made to PPE, visitation, elective surgery, specialist outpatient consulting, Emergency Departments, meetings, working from home, working across sites, student clinical placements, patient entertainment and arrangements for those at higher risk of serious illness. Please read more about these changes here.

Accreditation assessment deferred
Due to COVID-safe restrictions and the seven-day lockdown in Victoria, Monash Health’s National Standards accreditation survey, scheduled for 7-11 June 2021, has been deferred.

We are working with The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards to reschedule accreditation as soon as possible and will update you when new dates are set.

If you have any questions or would like more information about our National Standards accreditation, please contact our Accreditation Team.

COVID-19 vaccination centres
Understandably, this outbreak has increased public interest in vaccination. Our two high-volume vaccination centres have had the most significant uptake so far, with our teams at Cranbourne Turf Club administering over 800 doses yesterday, and Sandown Racecourse just over 1,000. By 2.30pm today, both sites had already delivered approximately 900 doses each.

Thank you to our Vaccination Program Team for quickly adjusting to accommodate increased demand and changing eligibility criteria. From today, anyone aged 40 or above is now eligible for COVID-19 vaccination, with 40 to 49-year-olds able to receive Pfizer.

There has been plenty of media interest, and Sandown footage featured heavily in last night’s 7 News bulletin.

Employee vaccinations
If you have not yet received your COVID-19 vaccination, please make a booking. All Monash Health employees are welcome to attend either of our high-volume vaccination centres (Cranbourne and Sandown) without a booking. Show your employee card, and the team will work to minimise the wait.

Our Monash Health site-based hospital vaccination clinics cannot accommodate walk-ins, so bookings are essential. Call the Victorian Government’s Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398, choose option 1, option 1, option 1.

Please note that the Victorian Government’s Coronavirus Hotline is experiencing extremely high volumes at the moment. We are monitoring this situation and will advise accordingly.

COVID-19 testing
Our testing sites are also experiencing significantly higher volumes. We have opened an additional drive-through site in Cheltenham, and extended the hours of all of our clinics to meet the increased demand. My thanks to our hard-working teams.

Employees have priority access at our drive-through clinics – simply show your employee ID to the traffic controller.

COVID-19 Ward Model of Care
Now is the time to refresh your awareness and ensure that you fully understand our COVID-19 inpatient models of care. Chief Operating Officer, Martin Keogh, provided an excellent update on current procedures at today’s employee forum, which you can view on our coronavirus site.

Please also take a few minutes to review the COVID-19 Inpatient Admission Procedure. You can access and download this procedure on PROMPT.

Staying up to date
This is a quickly evolving situation. As always, we will continue to update you via these alerts, coronavirus.monashhealth.org and our employee forums, as information becomes available.

Today’s employee forum covered a wide range of COVID-19 related topics. You can watch the recording here.

Thank you for the work you are undertaking in challenging circumstances. Please look after yourself, stay safe, stay home from work if you’re sick, and if you haven’t been vaccinated, I encourage you to do so. 

Andrew Stripp
Chief Executive