Chief Executive COVID-19 Update: 6 July

Message from the Chief Executive

As of today, we have:

• No COVID-19 positive inpatients
• No employees with COVID-19
• 14 employees in precautionary quarantine

In this update, we cover:

• Designated Hospital Model
• Community Hospitals
• Casey Hospital reconfiguration
• Celebrating NAIDOC Week
• Thank you to those who completed the People Matter survey
• Travel zones
• Exposure sites
• Priority access for employees at screening clinics
• Car parking update
• Free flu vaccination
• New Monash Health BI Portal goes live
• Online repeat prescription ordering services pilot
• EMR Security Warning – Cease use of QR Codes for employee passwords
• Windows 7 Upgrade Alert
• Hay fever season is approaching! Visit the Monash Health Employee Allergy Clinic
• Monash Health will soon be piloting Orygen Digital’s Moderated Online Social Therapy

Victorian case numbers have now stabilised, and yesterday the state again recorded no new locally acquired COVID-19 cases. This hard-earned position is due in no small part to the work of so many across our healthcare system. Right across our service, I see an absolute determination to put COVID-19 behind us and keep those we care for safe.

Last week we saw other states and territories impose restrictions among increasing concern about the more contagious Delta COVID-19 variant. We continue to monitor these outbreaks closely.

Designated Hospital Model
Victoria has now implemented a Designated Hospital Model for providing hospital care to COVID-19 positive patients across Victoria. The model builds on the lessons learned from hotel quarantine and is designed to achieve the highest possible level of care while keeping healthcare workers safe.

Under the model, Monash Medical Centre will be a preferred site for the provision of obstetric services to COVID-19 positive patients.

We will provide that specialist care on Ward 32 in negative ventilation rooms, where dedicated teams of midwifery, nursing, medical and support services employees will support mothers and their babies.

Employees caring for these women and babies will be:

• Restricted to these patients only
• Fully vaccinated
• Fit tested
• PPE trained
• Provided with a dedicated tearoom space
• Surveillance Tested as per DoH guidance
  • One nasal/throat PCR per week
  • Four weekly saliva swabs
• Supported through our wellbeing program

The current preferred services included in the Designated Hospital Model are:

• General High Acuity Services: The Alfred Hospital, Box Hill Hospital, Royal Melbourne Hospital
• Specialist High Acuity Services: The Royal Children’s Hospital, The Royal Women’s Hospital, Monash Medical Centre (obstetric services)
• Lower Acuity Services (for aged care residents): Epping Private Hospital, Latrobe Private Hospital

This evolution of existing healthcare arrangements for COVID-19 positive patients will enable a scalable approach to system capacity while ensuring the best possible outcomes for patients and healthcare workers alike.

Monash Health’s new community hospitals
I am pleased to share that our two new community hospitals planned for Cranbourne and Pakenham have each progressed in their early planning stages.

The new facilities will ease demands across our entire network, while providing care closer to home for those in the area. Construction on each new hospital is scheduled to commence in 2022, with completion of both expected in 2024.

A preferred location has been chosen for the Pakenham Community Hospital. A parcel of land at 67-69 Main Street, Pakenham has been identified, and the acquisition process will begin shortly.

The location has been chosen as it is located centrally for the Pakenham community and well serviced by public transport. It is also located close to nearby services, including specialist clinics, community health providers, and social support services.

Similarly, the location for the planned Cranbourne Community Hospital has been finalised, with the sale process commencing for the hospital to be built on currently vacant land adjacent to the Balla Balla Community Centre, located at 65 Berwick-Cranbourne Rd, Cranbourne East.

The hospitals will be tailored to their local communities and provide services such as an extended hours urgent care centre, dialysis, mental health services, community rehabilitation, dental, specialist consulting, day surgery, chronic disease management, and family health services. Pathology, diagnostic imaging and pharmacy will also be available. You can read more here.

Casey Hospital bed reconfiguration
In more good news, Casey Hospital Tower Ward 5 has now been operationalised. Initially, this ward will operate as a 16-bed multiday bed unit as part of planned phased opening.

This has been supported by the reallocation of beds from both Tower Ward 2 and Tower Ward 4. Plans are in place for further changes at the site, most notably the relocation of the Dandenong Cardiac Care Unit to Casey Tower Ward 2, which is planned for later this year. You can read more here.

Celebrating NAIDOC Week
This week is NAIDOC week – the national week to celebrate the history and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year’s theme is Heal Country! – a call to continue to seek greater protection for lands, waters, sacred sites and cultural heritage.

We started our celebration of NAIDOC Week last week, as members of our Aboriginal Health team and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees spoke at the Manager Briefing about their experiences and what’s important in creating a culturally safe workplace.

Today, we were joined by Aunty Georgina Nicholson, an Elder of the Wurundjeri people, who delivered a Welcome to Country. Aunty Georgina talked about the importance of coming together to celebrate NAIDOC Week and its role in keeping the world’s oldest continuing culture alive.

At Monash Health, we see and treat more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than any other health service in the state. It is important that we provide a culturally safe environment for our patients, employees and wider community, and to ensure everyone has equal healthcare opportunities.

Please join us on Thursday for another NAIDOC Week event: Story Telling with Uncle Jack Charles. Uncle Jack Charles is a prominent figure in Australia, with many accomplishments to his name. This is a rare opportunity, and the session will not be recorded, so if you can, please log in and listen.

I also encourage you, as I will be doing, to do some of your own research about the local traditional owners of the lands on which we live and work, and the importance of NAIDOC Week.

Thank you.

Martin Keogh
Acting Chief Executive

Key messages

Thank you to those who completed the People Matter survey
Thank you to our almost 4,000 employees who took the time to complete the People Matter survey. Your meaningful feedback will help us understand what is working well for our employees and where we can put steps in place to improve.

We look forward to sharing the survey results with all employees in September, when Monash Health receives the results from the Victorian Public Sector Commission. We will then switch our attention to implementing initiatives that can ensure change from the survey outcome.

Congratulations to Security who finished in top position with a completion rate of 92.8% and Allied Health and Patient Flow who finished a close second with 85.9%. Both programs will receive a cash prize to put towards a project to benefit their program.

Travel zones
Travel zones continue to change rapidly. Please check www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/travel-updates for the latest advice.

Travel to orange and red zones should be reconsidered. If you choose to travel to these areas and are unable to attend work as a result, you will need to take annual/long service leave and include in your leave planning.

Advice for employees is available here.

Exposure sites
Exposure site lists continue to change quickly. Please make sure you stay across these lists of exposure sites and take appropriate action if you were present at the listed times.

• Current list of ACT exposure sites
• Current list of New South Wales exposure sites
• Current list of Northern Territory exposure sites
• Current list of Queensland exposure sites
• Current list of South Australia exposure sites
• Current list of Western Australia exposure sites

Advice for employees is available here.

You must bring your Medicare card to all Monash Health vaccination appointments
You are now required to bring your Medicare card to all Monash Health vaccination appointments. This applies to any vaccination you receive at Monash Health, including flu and COVID-19 vaccination.

Priority access for employees at screening clinics
COVID-19 testing is free, and no appointment is necessary.

Monash Health employees have all-day priority access at our Dandenong, Clayton and Berwick walk-in screening clinics. You also have priority access at Monash Health drive-through clinics at Dandenong, Cranbourne and Pakenham. Please bring your Mona​sh Health ID with you to the clinic.

Please note that the Clayton Clinic is now located on Wellington Road.

Monash Health COVID-19 testing locations

Join your colleagues and get your free flu vaccination
Over 50% of Monash Health employees have been vaccinated against the flu. If you have not been vaccinated yet, you can attend the Infection Prevention offices and get your flu shot.

If you had your flu vaccination elsewhere or are not participating, you must declare using the Monash Health Flu Vaccination Declaration page.

You can find times and locations here. Please bring your Medicare card.

New Monash Health BI Portal goes live
The new Manager BI portal presents Managers with a one-stop-shop for key Business Intelligence reports and resources. Key Portal content encompasses Quality and Safety, Workforce, Activity, Finance, Patient Experience and Patent Flow.

While it is now ‘live’, the design process will remain iterative and will be further refined based on ongoing user feedback and engagement.

The new Manager BI portal can be found here and is easily accessed from the Monash Health intranet page.

Online repeat prescription ordering pilot at Monash Children’s Hospital
Monash Health Pharmacy has recently commenced a pilot for a new service that allows patients to order medication online. The service will initially be trialled at Monash Children’s Hospital, with a plan to introduce it across all Monash Health hospitals in August.

The service allows patients to order their repeat prescriptions online at any time without needing to call our pharmacies during business hours. Read more about the new service here.

EMR Security Warning – Cease use of QR Codes for employee passwords
The creation of QR codes for employee passwords represents a major password exposure risk and is NOT accepted or approved at Monash Health. You are fully responsible for ensuring the safety of your login credentials and password at all times. Learn more.

Windows 7 Upgrade Alert
Microsoft’s support for Windows 7 has finished. This means that if you are still using Windows 7, your PC may become more vulnerable to security risks, and could expose Monash Health to the risk of a total system outage.

To minimise this risk, our Digital Health team has been migrating Monash Health computers and laptops from Windows 7 to Windows 10. We are now nearing the end of that migration.

Starting in mid-July, all remaining Windows 7 devices will be “locked”, removing access to email, USB devices and the internet (web browsers) until they have been upgraded to Windows 10.  By the end of September, all Windows 7 devices will cease to operate on our network.

If you have Windows 7 devices in your work area, you need to act now.

Hay fever season is approaching! Visit the Monash Health Employee Allergy Clinic
In Victoria, seasonal hay fever typically starts in September and continues through to the end of January each year, with the predominate allergy in spring being ryegrass. Unfortunately, this year, there may be an increase in pollen counts with bumper rain.

Wearing masks while experiencing hay fever may cause discomfort. If you are experiencing mask discomfort, you can visit the Monash Health Employee Allergy Clinic.

You will need a referral to attend, which notes that you are an employee of Monash Health. Currently, it takes about six weeks to be seen at the clinic.

The team are happy to assist with other non-direct occupational allergic and dermatological concerns, including hay fever. Priority will be given to those with direct occupational conditions.

The clinic operates on Thursdays, from 1pm to 4pm. For more information on how to access this service and for tips on minimising mask discomfort, visit the Monash Health COVID-19 website.

Monash Health will soon be piloting Orygen Digital’s Moderated Online Social Therapy
The Moderated Online Social Therapy (MOST) will be piloted and rolled out to younger clients from the ages of 12-14, with $12 million in funding announced last week by the Victorian Government.

MOST is a world-first online therapy platform offering a unique blend of digital and face-to-face therapy for young Victorians experiencing mental health difficulties. The platform allows 24/7 access to tailored online therapy, tools and programs. Find out more here.