Chief Executive COVID-19 Update: 4 August

Message from the Chief Executive

As of today, we have:

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

In this update, we cover:

• Changes to PPE
• Have your say on the Disability Action Plan
• Recognising our strengths
• Schwartz Rounds returning
• Have you had your flu shot at your local GP or pharmacy? Declare today
• COVID-19 Vaccination program delivers exceptional care everywhere
• Hospital-grade antenatal care without leaving home
• Monash Health: United by Stroke
• 10 August is Census Night
• Residential Services cookbook highlights our exceptional teams on Aged Care Employee Day
• Keep your smile healthy during Dental Health Week
• Change to Clayton COVID-19 vaccination clinic opening times
• Join the MCH Winter Walk
• Has your electrical equipment been tested and tagged?

I want to thank Martin Keogh for covering my role while I took a break and to all for supporting him.

It is sometimes not easy to create space for some personal time; however, now having had a break, I realise just how much I needed it – it’s been a professionally challenging year, and it’s essential that you make time to look after yourself.  So if you haven’t planned and booked your leave, please do so soon.

The last few weeks have again reminded us of the need to guard against any complacency. As we are seeing around Australia and the world,  the Delta strain moves quickly – two to three times more rapidly than the original strain – and we need to be ready to manage it.

Many of you have taken the critical step towards protection, with COVID-19 vaccination. If you haven’t yet had a vaccination, I urge you to do it as a matter of priority. For those working in residential aged care, vaccination will be mandatory from 17 September.

If you have been vaccinated elsewhere, the COVID-19 vaccination declaration is available online. As with the flu declaration, you can also let us know if you aren’t vaccinating and why, to help us better understand and address any concerns.

There is a growing body of research and data coming from Israel, the US, and Britain showing both vaccines in use in Australia are extremely effective at preventing severe illness and hospitalisation. The Victorian Chief Health Officer revealed this week that none of the people hospitalised during the current outbreak in Victoria were fully vaccinated.

Vaccine eligibility will continue to change, so please encourage those who are now eligible to get vaccinated at the first opportunity. Eligible groups now include pregnant women (vaccination protects you and your baby) and adolescents aged 12-15 with underlying medical conditions.

Changes to PPE
In line with departmental advice, we have made changes to our PPE Compulsory Standards, effective 11.59pm tonight (Wednesday 4 August).

The key changes are:

• Eye protection is no longer required for care of COVID-19 negative patients.
• Employees providing vaccinations at COVID-19 vaccination centres will wear Tier 1 PPE.
• Employees providing testing at community COVID-19 testing locations will now wear Tier 2 PPE.
• Cloth masks may be worn by employees in non-patient-facing roles.

Full details are available here.

Have your say on the Disability Action Plan
We have started consultation on the Monash Health Disability Action Plan. The consultation process, which is open until the end of the month, will allow us to listen and better understand the needs of our employees, volunteers and the community, who either have or support someone with a disability.

Please have your say via a focus group, interviews or completing a survey so that we can ensure we are a safe, accessible, welcoming and inclusive health service for all.

Recognising our strengths
With the continued pace of work and change, it is important to take a step back and recognise the different areas of our health service which continue to deliver excellence every day.

I’m pleased to see a strong influx of STAR award nominations and to be able to speak to this quarter’s awardees each week at the employee forums.

As it is National Stroke Week, it’s very timely that we had the chance to recognise someone who works in stroke research and service delivery, Dr Andy Lim. If you get the chance, review this week’s employee forum and hear about Andy’s leadership, as he recently spearheaded an international consortium reporting on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ‘mini-stroke’ hospital processes. Read more about his work here.

I’d also like to acknowledge the outstanding work of our teams, who continue to advance the research and treatment of stroke, helping us build our reputation as an academic health service.

Schwartz Rounds returning
Congratulations also to Dr Ari Horton, appointed ‘Schwartz Rounds Clinical Lead’ for Monash Health. Since he commenced his intern year, Ari has been a Monash Health Doctor and currently holds clinical positions as a Paediatric Cardiologist and Clinical Genetics Fellow at Monash Health.

In this new role, Ari will oversee the implementation of Schwartz Rounds at Monash Health. This week, he spoke about the humanity we share as caregivers and the importance of having the opportunity to share stories of our experiences in a safe space.

We can only continue to give the best care if we look after ourselves and each other. As Ari said, regardless of your role in our health service, we all have stories to tell, and sharing them can help bring us closer together to learn from different perspectives. Schwartz Rounds are for everyone in the health service.

I expect you will hear more as we lead into Kindness Week in November.

Andrew Stripp
Chief Executive

Key messages

Have you had your flu shot at your local GP or pharmacy? Declare today
If you have received your flu vaccination outside of Monash Health, you must declare it by completing the online Flu Vaccination Declaration form. Find out how to get your free flu shot here.

COVID-19 Vaccination program delivers exceptional care everywhere
There’s no denying the pandemic brings with it many challenging and tough times. But Monash Health teams have been caring for our community every step of the way. Watch our second community vox pop video to hear what our vaccine recipients thought of the process, and how our people deliver exceptional care, everywhere. You can watch, here.

Hospital-grade antenatal care without leaving home
New Monash Health Newborn research shows that we can safely deliver antenatal care using telehealth and reduce face-to-face consultations by 50 per cent without affecting the detection and management of common pregnancy complications, including pre-eclampsia, foetal growth restriction, and gestational diabetes. Read more here.

Monash Health: United by Stroke
This National Stroke Week, the theme is ‘United by Stroke’. This serves as a reminder that stroke care at Monash Health is provided by a large multidisciplinary team, who work together to provide the best care for stroke patients. Learn more about our stroke team here.

10 August is Census Night
Every five years, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) counts every person and household in Australia.

The Census is compulsory – everyone who is staying in one of our hospitals or care facilities on the night of 10 August must be included. To facilitate this, the ABS has recruited a number of Establishment Officers from within our workforce to distribute forms, help people complete them where required, and collect the forms when complete. Please make them welcome if you see them in your ward or care location.

Read more about the 2021 Census here.

Residential Services cookbook highlights our exceptional teams on Aged Care Employee Day
Saturday 7 August is Aged Care Employee Day in Australia. It’s a time to honour the work of all aged care professionals in nursing homes, residential and in-home aged care services. It’s also an opportune moment to shine a spotlight on the touching wellbeing initiative cooked up by our Residential Services Team during lockdown last year.

The Residential Services Cookbook put memories on the menu by collecting recipes of significance from our residents, their representatives and our employees. The cookbook provided a personal and vibrant connection to heirloom recipes and family favourites for our Care Recipients at a time when they needed it most. Find out more about what’s cooking and check out some of the recipes here.

Keep your smile healthy during Dental Health Week
This week is Dental Health Week, a time dedicated to increasing awareness of the importance of good oral health. Monash Health Dental Service is contributing to Dental Health Week by hosting events for clients and employees. Read more here.

Change to Clayton COVID-19 vaccination clinic opening times
Please note a change to our Clayton COVID-19 vaccination clinic opening times, which is now open from 7.30am to 3.00pm, Monday to Friday (closed from noon to 1.00pm). It’s not too late to be vaccinated. There are still plenty of options for employees to get vaccinated, including St John of God now offering Pfizer by appointment. Find out more here.

Join the MCH Winter Walk
After years as an in-person event, the Walk for Monash Children’s Hospital will be a virtual event this August. The Winter Walk asks participants to walk 10,000 steps per day over 21-30 August, aiming for a target of 100,000 over the 10 days. Learn about how you can get involved.

Has your electrical equipment been tested and tagged?
Please check your areas and ensure electrical equipment is appropriately tested and tagged. Here are three simple practices for your area:

1. Check for tags – all electrical equipment must have a tag. If a piece of equipment doesn’t have a tag, it needs to be reported (using the contact information below).
2. Check the date –tags will indicate that the electrical equipment has been tested and when it is due for a retest. If the equipment is due to be retested, report it.
3. Check for damage – If electrical equipment is showing signs of damage or unreasonable wear and tear, it needs to be reported, even if it falls within the date on the tag.

If you require electrical equipment in your area to be tested and tagged, please contact:

• Medical equipment – contact Clinical Engineering on 8541 6444 or email: clinicalengineering@monashhealth.org
• Non-medical equipment – place a BEIMS request

More information, including general retest intervals, can be found in the Electrical Testing and Tagging PROMPT procedure