Coronavirus (COVID-19) update – 15 July 2021

As of today, we have:

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

In this update we cover:

• Face masks are mandatory in all areas of the health service
• Public exposure sites and travel zones
• Pathology marks another major milestone
• Register for the 2021 Monash Health Walking Challenge
• Monash Health in the media: June 2021 highlights
• Early implementation of new Nurses and Midwives EBA
• Have you ever wanted to further your career within Critical Care?
• Let’s make time to talk – Give Me Five or Annual Performance conversation
• Take 15 minutes to complete Privacy training on Latte
• Temporary pause to COVID-19 vaccination at Dandenong Hospital clinic
• ‘Heads Up’ on National Diabetes Week
• NAIDOC Week with Uncle Jack Charles
• Super guarantee contribution rate rises to 10%
• Healthy Choices now at Monash Health

Yesterday, Victoria recorded a spike in new local COVID-19 cases, related to a family returning from NSW and removalists who travelled from Sydney.  

There are currently over 70 public exposure sites listed in the state. 

In response, the Acting Chief Health Officer has declared that from 11:59pm Wednesday 14 July, face mask rules will change for Victorians aged 12 and above.

Face masks are mandatory again in all areas of the health service
Wearing a face mask is now mandatory indoors (not at home) unless an exemption applies. This includes inside non-patient-facing areas at Monash Health.

Masks must also be worn outdoors if you cannot maintain 1.5m distance from people who aren’t from your household (such as at an outdoor event).

Exposure sites and travel zones
Please ensure you regularly check the listing of public exposure sites and take the appropriate action if you were there at the listed times.

If you are returning from NSW or the ACT, you will need to test and isolate and stay away from work if you have been in a red zone. Read more here.

The outbreak and its impact reinforce the need to do the basics well; hand hygiene, mask use, social distancing, using the attestations and QR codes where required.  And there is one message that grows ever stronger – get vaccinated and encourage your family and friends to do the same.

Getting vaccinated

You can walk in to any of our vaccination clinics, take your Monash Health employee ID and your Medicare Card, and you will be given priority. Try to go earlier in the day if possible. Bookings can be made online or by calling the Coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398.

If you have been vaccinated elsewhere or don’t wish to participate, please complete the COVID-19 Vaccination Declaration Form.

At Tuesday’s employee forum, Professor Tony Korman, Director of Monash Infectious Diseases, shared with us the link to a publicly available site called AusVax Safety, which is Australia’s Active Vaccine Safety System. If you would like to know more about the feedback and data being recorded about COVID-19 vaccines in Australia as part of their national vaccine safety surveillance, you will find it here.

Pathology marks another major milestone
As we focus again on COVID-19 testing, it’s an opportunity to highlight some of the work done by our Pathology team. Throughout the pandemic they have played a vital role in our response and fight against COVID-19.

Not only have our Pathology labs established a process that enables 24/7 testing of COVID-19 swabs to meet the considerable demand, they have also reached the impressive milestone of more than 300,000+ COVID-19 tests processed.

The Monash Health Pathology team has completed more COVID-19 tests than any other public pathology service in the state since testing began in March 2020. Congratulations to our dedicated and forward-thinking pathology team.

Step up and join the Monash Health Walking Challenge
I’m canvassing my friends and colleagues at work to see who will join me in a team of four for the Monash Health Walking Challenge.

While we might not be able to cross many borders right now, the challenge has us virtually walking around Australia as we count our steps. For your physical and mental health, walking every day is a great place to start.

This is a great initiative from the Wellbeing Team to get us up and moving – or moving in a more measured way, if you happen to be in one of the many roles where you are already on your feet! The last time we had the Walking Challenge, the Walk Our Way team from Dandenong Hospital defeated all comers! And I think they are keen to take the top prize again this year.

Get your team of four together and register online by Friday 23 July, in time for the 1 August start date.

Thank you and be safe.

Martin Keogh

Acting Chief Executive

Key messages

Monash Health in the media: June 2021 highlights
In June, Monash Health played a vital role in the fight against COVID-19 through our contact tracing efforts and vaccination program. This work was reflected in the media, with stories appearing across TV, radio, and newspapers. Read and watch our highlights for the month on iNews.

 Early implementation of new Nurses and Midwives EBA

Due to delays in putting the new proposed Nurses and Midwives EBA out to ballot, the Department of Health has authorised the early implementation of some proposed changes.

The Employee Relations and Business Partnerships teams are working with NaMES, Payroll and Kronos to implement these changes. Read more about the changes here.

Have you ever wanted to further your career within Critical Care?

Monash Health Intensive Care is offering an opportunity to spend two shifts observing the typical day to day work of the nursing team in ICU.

This opportunity may involve a range of activities, such as observing direct care of patients, watching interactions with patients or colleagues, and generally seeing what is involved. Read more about this opportunity here.

Let’s make some time to talk – Give Me Five or Annual Performance conversation

As we enter the new financial year, it is a great time to stop and reflect on your achievements at work over the last six months and plan for the next six months ahead.

Give Me Five or Annual Performance discussions are Monash Health’s tools to help guide these conversations and allow you the opportunity to talk about your experiences, clarify expectations, set your goals and provide feedback to your manager. Talk to your manager and set up a time to talk. Visit the dedicated webpage for more details.

Register for the 2021 Monash Health Walking Challenge

Registration for the 2021 Monash Health Walking Challenge is now open! Register your team by Friday 23 July. This year, the Walking Challenge will kick off on Sunday 1 August and run for four weeks. Teams of four will complete a walk around different parts of Australia through the Health@Work platform.

The Walking Challenge is a great opportunity to get your colleagues, friends or family together and get active when we might not have been able to spend as much time together. Learn more about the Challenge and how to register here.

Take 15 minutes to complete Privacy training on Latte

Protecting the privacy of others is a vital part of our roles from an ethical and legal perspective.

We have a mandatory privacy e-learning module which helps employees better understand their legal responsibilities about access, disclosure, and handling of personal information.

Even if you’ve done privacy training before, this is an important refresher that will take just 15 minutes to complete. It is mandatory training for accreditation, so please make sure you log on to Latte and complete the course as a priority.

Temporary pause to COVID-19 vaccination at Dandenong Hospital clinic

The Dandenong Hospital COVID-19 vaccination clinic is now closed temporarily, due to the current reduction in vaccine supply. Anyone with an existing appointment will have their booking scheduled at an alternate Monash Health site during this period.

Thank you to the team at Dandenong for providing outstanding service so far. We will provide an update when the clinic reopens. It’s not too late; you can still book a COVID-19 vaccination. Find out more here.

‘Heads Up’ on National Diabetes Week

This week is National Diabetes Week and the theme is ‘Heads Up on Diabetes and Stigma’. This campaign aims to start a conversation around the impact of diabetes stigma on a person’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.

This week, the diabetes education team at Monash Health want to share the message that diabetes impacts not only the body but also a person’s wellbeing. Learn more about the programs Monash Diabetes manage to ensure patients with diabetes receive holistic and adequate care here.

NAIDOC Week with Uncle Jack Charles

National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) is the national week to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Last week, we hosted a number of events that focused on celebrating and learning about one of the oldest living cultures in the world. Read more about how we celebrated NAIDOC Week here.

Super guarantee contribution rate rises to 10%

With the start of the new financial year, the Australian superannuation guarantee contributions (SGC) rate increases to 10%.

You should now see this reflected on your payslips. Read more about the change here.

Healthy Choices now at Monash Health

Monash Health employees, visitors and patients now have access to a more extensive range of healthy food options at cafés located at Monash Medical Centre Clayton, Monash Children’s Hospital, Kingston Centre and Moorabbin Hospital.

Supported by the Healthy Eating Advisory Service (HEAS), the ‘Healthy Choices Guidelines’ classify food and drinks according to a traffic light system, helping consumers make informed choices about the food and drinks they consume.

Stay tuned for updates about the program at other sites and learn more about Healthy Choices here.