Chief Executive update – 17 February 2022
As of today, we have:
- 96 COVID-19 positive inpatients
- 74 employees with COVID-19
- 76 employees in precautionary quarantine
- 79 employees who are primary close contacts and working under public health exemption
In this update, we cover:
- Embarking on a careful transition out of Code Brown
- Statewide elective surgery plans
- Nominations are now open for the 2022 NAMAS (Nursing and Midwifery Awards and Scholarships)
- Keep asking your questions
- ‘Paws the Pressure’ with virtual dog therapy
- Compassionate visiting
- How we’re using Rapid Antigen Tests and documenting inpatient results in the EMR
- Our music therapists commence live music sessions for employees
- Make every step count – Walking Challenge 2022
- A look inside our new ED
- Mandatory third (booster) vaccination doses
- Accreditation rescheduled to August 2022
- Hospital Surge Support Allowance
- Walk-in COVID-19 vaccinations now available for children
- Community Fast Track Response
- Employee resources for social barriers or complex patient discharge
- Changes to RAT collection point at Wright Street
- Complete the new Cybersecurity module in Latte
- Outdoor break areas
- Half-price memberships at Healthwise Fitness
Embarking on a careful transition out of Code Brown
This week we’ve moved with other Victorian health services to stand down from the statewide Pandemic Code Brown as COVID-19 hospitalisations in Victoria continue to trend downwards.
Just as the commencement of the Code Brown didn’t mean there were major changes overnight, the cessation doesn’t mean that things will immediately return to pre-COVID normal. The looming crisis has settled, but we are still under extraordinary pressure.
We are continuing to make considered alterations to our model of care to bring services back online. Since 7 February 2022, we have been able to return 12 ICU and 126 general inpatient beds to non-COVID use, but it will be a slow and steady return.
I know this can be frustrating as we all want to return to normal services as soon as possible. But COVID-19 is not behind us. We have considerable numbers of our people working in COVID-related roles. And we have many tired team members who need a break.
Considerable work is going into how we balance our service priorities and having the right people in the right numbers available as we move into the next phase of the pandemic. This includes the planned approach to elective surgery.
Statewide elective surgery plans
A plan to resume all elective surgery by the end of February has been announced as the impact of the Omicron wave continues to subside and stabilise.
From Monday 21 February 2022, public hospitals in metropolitan Melbourne will be able to perform Category 2 surgery.
Each health service will assess its capacity based on employee availability and COVID-19 demands, with 44 hospitals still operating as COVID-19 streaming hospitals. Private hospitals will also be able to increase their elective surgery activity, as long as they can continue to provide support for public hospitals to respond to COVID-19 demands.
I look forward to sharing further details on the resumption of elective surgery at Monash Health shortly.
Nominations are now open for the 2022 NAMAS
Our nurses and midwives will never have enough credit for the work they’ve done during the pandemic, but the annual Nursing and Midwifery Awards and Scholarships are an excellent chance to highlight some of their achievements.
Head to the STAR Portal to nominate a deserving nurse or midwife by Sunday 13 March 2022.
Keep asking your questions
From this week, we will return to the regular timeslot of 2pm on Tuesday afternoon for our Employee Forum, with the Manager Briefings held once a fortnight on a Wednesday, and our Employee Wellbeing Forums once a month on Thursdays.
Please join us to hear the latest news and to ask any questions you may have of our senior leaders. We value your questions and feedback, which have helped us navigate the pandemic.
Please see the details below about today’s wellbeing Paws the Pressure sessions, which you can tune into online, but note that this week’s Wellbeing Forum has been held over until next Thursday (22 February 2022).
Thank you, as always, for the role you play in helping us provide excellent care to our community.
Andrew StrippChief Executive
Key Messages
‘Paws the Pressure’ with virtual dog therapy
Today, (Thursday 17 February 2022), employees are encouraged to ‘Paws the Pressure’ and join an online dog therapy session. Research shows that dog therapy fosters wellbeing through increased social interactions and promoting meaningful workplace breaks.
The sessions will run between 11:30am and 2pm, across five 30-minute blocks. Employees will meet therapy dogs and their volunteers, and hear their stories, while enjoying puppy tricks and play. You are welcome to drop in for any 30-minute session during these times. Read more
Compassionate visiting
During the pandemic, visitor restrictions have been required to limit the spread of the virus. However, we must balance the risk of transmission with compassionate patient and family centred care. We want to ensure patients are not alone:
- in circumstances where a patient is likely to be distressed and need to be with family and friends, such as after a significant new diagnosis such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and cardiac conditions, as well as for patients with dementia, delirium or requiring a significant treatment intervention,
- during extended hospital stays (more than seven days),
- on culturally significant days,
- on personally significant days, such as patients’ or immediate family members’ birthdays and wedding/civil union anniversaries.
So, we have expanded our definition of a ‘support person’ to encompass these situations and actively facilitate visits in such situations.
One support person may visit for one hour, once per day (unless otherwise negotiated with the Nurse Manager). Two people may visit for end-of-life support for two hours.
How we’re using Rapid Antigen Tests and documenting inpatient results in the EMR
As more Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) become available, we are deploying them in different ways to ensure the appropriate level of risk management for healthcare workers, patients and visitors.
Our music therapists commence live music sessions for employees
From Monday 14 February 2022, our music therapists will perform live on the grand piano at Monash Medical Centre, Clayton. We encourage you to take your break by the piano or enjoy the live music as you move through the building.
These sessions are an opportunity to create a calming space for employees and enhance the auditory environment of our workplace. Keep an eye out for upcoming sessions and opportunities to enjoy live music at other sites. Read more
Registrations now open – Walking Challenge 2022
Registrations for the 2022 Walking Challenge are now open and close on Saturday 5 March 2022. This year, the Challenge is FREE for all employees, their families, and friends to join.
The Challenge starts on Sunday 6 March 2022 and runs for four weeks, until Saturday 2 April 2022. The Challenge is a great opportunity to connect with your colleagues and loved ones, clear your head after a busy day, and enjoy time outdoors, all while staying active. Read more
A look inside our new ED
After opening our new Emergency Department at Monash Medical Centre, we spoke with Dawn MacRae to talk about her experience as the Emergency Department Nurse Manager.
Dawn has been the Nurse Manager at Monash Medical Centre Emergency Department for the past two years and describes her role as being “a jack of all trades”, responsible for managing and leading our emergency department nurse employees.Read about Dawn and our new Emergency department here.
Mandatory vaccination third dose deadlines
The deadline for mandatory third (booster) dose vaccination has been extended, provided employees provide evidence of a vaccination booking.
If employees who received their second vaccination on or after 12 September 2021 do not provide the required evidence of vaccination or a booking before 12 March 2022, we are required to commence a disciplinary procedure, which may lead to the termination of their employment.
Please take action to get your booster or provide your evidence. If you have issues with the evidence form, you can email evidence of your vaccination to covidadministration@monashhealth.org
Visit the COVID-19 vaccination hub to read more and view our FAQs.
Accreditation rescheduled to August 2022
Working closely with the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS), our National Standards accreditation assessment has been rescheduled to 15 – 19 August 2022.
Hospital Surge Support Allowance extended (until 31 March 2022)
The Victorian Government’s Hospital Surge Support Allowance has been extended to 31 March 2022. The eligibility criteria remain the same. You can read more about the allowance on our COVID-19 website for employees.
Walk-in COVID-19 vaccinations now available for children
Monash Health is now offering walk-in vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11 and people aged 12 years and above at our Sandown and Cranbourne vaccination centres.
Employees can now walk in with their children, in addition to household members aged 12+ years, at any of the below vaccination clinics and receive priority access to a COVID-19 vaccination:
- Sandown Racecourse Vaccination Centre, seven days a week from 9am to 4pm
- Cranbourne Turf Club Vaccination Centre, seven days a week from 9am to 4pm
- Dandenong Plaza Vaccination Clinic, seven days a week from 9am to 4pm
COVID-19 vaccination bookings are also available at Clinic D, Monash Medical Centre for household members, including families and children, of employees. More information is available here.
Community Fast Track Response is LIVE
Monash Health’s Community Team Fast Track Response is up and running. Focussing on nursing, Allied Health, children’s and priority populations support, Fast Track is available seven days a week from 8.30am – 5pm.
To best utilise Community resources and streamline the referral pathway, referrals to Community are being centrally assessed and allocated through the Community Fast Track Response. These are short term care solutions that will enable co-ordination of workflow and rapid allocation of resources specific to the immediate needs of patients.
Send referrals to cb.communityreferrals@monashhealth.org or call the Fast Track Response Hotline on 03 8572 5630.
Full details, referral guidelines, forms and contact details are all available on the Community Fast Track Response page.
New employee resources for social barriers or complex patient discharges
The timely discharge of patients who have finished their inpatient treatment and are clinically ready to go home is vital to ensure we can continue to provide care to all those who need it most.
We have produced patient and employee resources to guide conversations and actions that enable a smooth discharge process, to support our clinicians and clinical-support teams. These include discussion guides, decision flowcharts and patient information for the point of admission or at discharge.
Find out more and download resources at Employee COVID Website Model of Care Resources.
Closure of RAT collection point at Wright Street
Due to low demand, the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) collection point at 20 Wright Street for symptomatic employees is now closed.
Monash Health employees who are symptomatic can receive priority access to RATs at our nearby Clayton Drive Through Screening Clinic, as well as our Dandenong Screening Clinic. Read more here.
Complete the new Cybersecurity module in Latte
Cybersecurity awareness is critical in keeping our health service, patients, and ourselves safe from digital attacks. That’s why we’ve introduced a new mandatory Cybersecurity module in LATTE.
Outdoor break areas have been set up across our sites to ensure you have spaces to take your breaks safely. There are also dedicated break areas for employees who are close contacts returning to work under the exemption for Health Care Workers.
Healthwise Fitness offering half-price memberships for employees
To support you in achieving your health and fitness goals, Healthwise Fitness is offering half-price gym memberships for Monash Health employees until the end of June 2022.
The fee for memberships will drop to $7.50 per week for all new members, and existing members will automatically receive a 50% discount until the end of June. Read more
All managers are requested to share these updates with their teams and discuss at stand-ups and handovers. Please print a copy and display it in communication books and on employee noticeboards.
As advice and information evolve, please consult the latest updates and visit the Department of Health Coronavirus website and the Monash Health COVID-19 website for employees regularly for the latest.