Chief Executive COVID-19 Update: 3 February 2022

Coronavirus (COVID-19) update – 3 February 2022

 As of today, we have: 

• 167 COVID-19 positive inpatients
• 170 employees with COVID-19 
• 75 employees in precautionary quarantine
• 78 employees who are primary close contacts and working under public health exemption

In this update, we cover: 

• Current status of Code Brown – focus on back to school
• On site meals for those working overtime
• How we’re using Rapid Antigen Tests
• Community Fast Track Response service goes live
• Virtual Emergency Department underway
• Redeployment EOI for Non-Clinical Employees
• Outdoor break areas
• COVID-19 vaccinations available at MMC for employees’ families and children
• Keep up to date with latest on Code Brown
• Fact sheets to help if you test positive or need to isolate
• Risk Context Guide Updated
• Documenting inpatient RAT results in the EMR
• Declaring your Positive and/or Close Contact COVID-19 status
• Claiming COVID-19 leave entitlements
• Mandatory third COVID-19 vaccine doses
• Code Brown annotation added to the EMR
• Individual and family support

This week is one of cautious optimism as COVID-19 hospitalisation numbers in Victoria continue on a downward trend. However, with over one million students returning to school across the state, we continue to closely monitor COVID-19 numbers.

We will not make any immediate changes. However, we are planning how and when we can bring more of our services back online if the trend in hospital numbers continues on this path.

I want to recognise that this situation continues to be personally challenging as we make decisions that test us and sometimes take us in directions we didn’t foresee when we started out on our career journeys.

This week we heard from Professor David Clarke, Program Director Mental Health, about the challenges we face when demand exceeds our capacity. It was a powerful presentation and I encourage you to watch it and reflect on how you can pause and acknowledge the impact on you and your teams.

On site meals for those working overtime

In addition to snacks and drinks currently available, we have started supplying employees doing double shifts or 2+ hours above their usual shift, with vouchers for on-site meals and coffees.

This started at Clayton last week and the vouchers will become available this week at Dandenong, Casey and Kingston.

Managers will issue vouchers as we start this program as a small way of recognising the additional commitment you are making.

How we’re using Rapid Antigen Tests

With more Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) becoming available, we are now deploying them in different ways to ensure the appropriate level of risk management for healthcare workers, patients and visitors.

There have been some changes in recent days in terms of how we approach screening for symptomatic and asymptomatic employees, as well as the approach for inpatients and outpatients.

For details of when to use a RAT, when to use a PCR and how the results should be documented in the EMR, please see the details below and on the COVID-19 website for employees.

As we head towards flu season, it’s important to continue our business-as-usual PCR testing for inpatients as it provides us with information about other viruses circulating in the community.

Community Fast Track Response service goes live 

Monash Health’s Community Team has actively supported COVID-19 response work throughout the pandemic in many ways; with residential aged care facility outbreak and vaccination support, the Sotrovimab Clinic and the COVID Positive Pathways program.

Due to increasing demand on our hospitals, Community Health has temporarily paused or reduced many regular services and will operate escalation services via a centralised Fast Track Response service with a streamlined pathway for referrers. These will not be long-term care solutions but will enable the co-ordination of workflow and rapid allocation of resources, specific to the immediate need.

The aim of the Community Fast Track Response service is to:

• prevent imminent ED presentations
• enable hospital diversions
• facilitate safe hospital discharges
• provide a bed substitution option
• identify vulnerable and high-risk complex patients early, and
• provide responsive and flexible care as close to home as possible.

The Community Fast Track service went live yesterday and will operate seven days a week from 8.30am to 5pm.

Full service details, referral guidelines, forms and contact details are all available on the Community Fast Track Response page.

Thank you to the Community team members for their continued agility and responsiveness.

Virtual ED service underway

Monash Health, Alfred Health and Peninsula Health, working in partnership with Ambulance Victoria and supported by the Victorian Department of Health, have launched a virtual Emergency Department service operating across Melbourne’s south east.

The Virtual ED triage is a dedicated pathway for AV employees to access the ED team. The service will be provided via telehealth (video and audio) and offered seven days per week, from 12.00pm – 9.00pm.

The service will initially only be available for Ambulance Victoria paramedics, allowing them to consult with ED clinicians when determining the most appropriate care for a patient.

It is anticipated that the Virtual ED will contribute to a reduction in presentations to our EDs across Monash Health. The service will also be able to refer patients to other health services within Monash Health, such as Hospital in The Home, COVID Positive Pathways or the new High Acuity clinic.

Yesterday at the Employee forum, we heard from Clinical Associate Professor Georgia Soldatos about the first few days of the Virtual ED and the benefits it will bring. Please review the session if you are keen to know more.

My congratulations to the teams who have worked hard to get our virtual ED service up and running.

There are lots of new and innovative things happening as a result of some great thinking and hard work from across our teams. Thank you to all of you for the important work you are doing.

Andrew Stripp

Chief Executive

Key Messages 

Calling non-clinical employees to support your frontline colleagues – EOI process now open

Non-clinical employees who are interested in undertaking a full or partial temporary reassignment to support our frontline colleagues, can now register their interest in new Operations Support roles.

In the new Operations Support roles, you will support frontline teams in a range of areas. These are not clinical roles but will support both clinical and non-clinical areas.

Remuneration will be as per your substantive role, and you may also be eligible for the Government Hospital Surge Support Allowance, depending on your placement.

You will be fully supported, and your duties drawn from a core activity list that provides practical assistance and functions to our care/support teams. You will be supporting general operations and do not need a clinical background or clinical qualifications.

If you are interested in undertaking a full or partial temporary reassignment as part of the pandemic response, please talk to your line manager about whether they can release you, and then complete this Expression of Interest form. Further details for team members and managers will be provided shortly.

Outdoor break areas

Outdoor break areas have been set up across our sites to ensure you have spaces to take your breaks safely.

Tea and break rooms pose an increased risk when PPE is removed to eat and drink. Therefore, we recommend you take breaks in outdoor break areas to minimise risk.

Dedicated break areas have also been set up to accommodate employees who have been notified as personal close contacts but are deemed safe to attend work.

Please take appropriate measures to minimise your risk, even when eating outside, by maintaining social distancing, not sharing food, and checking in with a QR code where possible.

COVID-19 vaccinations available at MMC for employees’ families and children

A reminder that we have reopened COVID-19 vaccination bookings for employees’ household members, including families and children, at Clinic D in MMC.

Clinic D at MMC can provide COVID-19 vaccinations to the following cohorts:

• Children aged 5 to 11 years
• People aged 12 years and older
• Those who are eligible for their third dose (booster) or fourth dose if severely immunocompromised

We currently have bookings available for this week and next, which you can make by calling our COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline on (03) 8572 2156. The Hotline is open 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.

Keep up to date with latest on Code Brown

We continue to update the COVID-19 employee website as changes and updates relating to the Pandemic Code Brown come to hand.

For the latest:

• Employee Forum – 25 January 2022
• Employee Forum – 27 January 2022
• COVID-19 employee website
• Latest news

Fact sheets to help if you test positive or need to isolate

As schools head back this week and we continue to see our friends or family members testing positive to COVID-19, we’ve put together some material that may help in preparing your home and being ready to look after yourself or someone with COVID-19.

They are available for download:

• So you’ve tested positive
• Preparing for isolation at home

The fact sheets are also available on the Working Safely – Resources webpage.

COVID-19 Risk Context Guide – Updated

The updated COVID-19 Risk Context Guide covers a range of situations that visitors, patients, and healthcare workers may encounter, and outlines the appropriate action to take to prevent transmission of COVID-19.

The document supports our PPE Compulsory Standards and should be used alongside our advice for screening teams.

How we’re using Rapid Antigen Tests and documenting inpatient RAT results in the EMR

Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) are available for symptomatic and asymptomatic employees.

Please ensure the correct processes are followed for RAT testing our patients, and documenting results in the EMR.

Symptomatic employees

• RATs for symptomatic employees are available at 20 Wright Street, Clayton, opposite E Block of Monash Medical Centre.
  • To avoid disruption to street parking and traffic congestion, employees should park at the Brown Street South Car Park.
  • Once you have collected the RAT, the test must be used as soon as possible and conducted in your car.

Asymptomatic employee close contacts returning to work

• RATs for asymptomatic employee close contacts returning to work are available at site entrances.
• Please note: PCR tests will continue in clinical areas as part of our employee surveillance program.

Inpatient admissions

• All patients admitted from ED require a RAT and a PCR when the decision to admit is made.
• A RAT is only required for patients on admission. It should not be done during inpatient stay unless advised by Infection Prevention.
• As we head towards flu season, it’s important to continue our business-as-usual PCR testing for inpatients as it provides us with information about other viruses circulating in the community.

Screening outpatients

• Day patients and dialysis and infusion centre patients require a RAT before receiving care on-site.

Documenting inpatient RAT results in the EMR

• Clinicians can document inpatient RAT results, as distinct from a PCR test, in the EMR from ‘Interactive View’ or ‘Ad Hoc power forms’.

Read more about how we’re using RAT testing and documenting inpatient results in the EMR here.

Declaring your Positive and/or Close Contact COVID-19 status

You can now declare your COVID-19 positive status or your Close Contact status using our Employee COVID Declaration form. This replaces the previous requirement to call the Employee Hotline.

Find out more about your reporting requirements here.

Claiming COVID-19 leave entitlements

If you were eligible for paid special leave under the new COVID-19 leave arrangements after 1 January, you can claim back your personal leave hours by submitting a Kronos Amendment Form. If an employee is eligible for paid special leave, managers should complete a Kronos Employee Leave Form.

These forms can also be found on the Payroll Services webpage on the Monash Health Intranet by searching ‘Payroll Forms’.

FAQs and details of who is eligible for paid special leave, along with the updated Leave types flow chart and Kronos leave codes table are now available on the COVID-19 employee website.

Mandatory third COVID-19 vaccine doses

A third (booster) dose of the COVID-19 vaccination is now mandatory for all healthcare and aged care workers.

If you have not yet received your third dose (booster), please make a booking today – you can call 1800 675 398 or book your appointment using the online booking portal.

To summarise:

If you became eligible for a third dose on or before Wednesday 12 January (i.e., you became fully vaccinated on or before 12 September 2021), you have until Saturday, 12 February to get your third (booster) dose.

If you became eligible for a third dose after Wednesday 12 January, you should receive your dose as soon as you become eligible and by:

• Tuesday 1 March if you are an aged care worker, or

• Tuesday 29 March if you are a health care worker.

If you do not meet the requirements listed above, you will not be able to continue working at a care facility in the Victorian health service, unless you have a valid medical exemption.

Information has been sent to those who are not recorded as having a third dose (booster) at this time. If you received one of these emails, please respond as soon as possible to clarify your status.
Visit our Employee Vaccination Hub for our FAQs and what to do if you spot missing or incorrect information on your vaccination record.

Code Brown annotation added to the EMR

From Friday 28 January 2022, and for the duration of Monash Health’s Pandemic Code Brown response, a Communication order and Code Brown Note will automatically be added to every inpatient episode and Emergency presentation in the EMR.

Read more about the EMR Code Brown annotation here.

Individual and family support

Our Employee Assistance Program provides a wide range of free and confidential support services for you and members of your family.

The offsite EAP service is available 8am to 8pm, with limited availability on weekends. To find out more or to book an appointment call 1300 687 327 or email customerservice@convergeintl.com.au