Chief Executive Update – 8 July 2022
As of today, we have:
- 89 COVID-19 positive inpatients
- 245 employees with COVID-19
- 36 employees in precautionary quarantine
- 74 employees who are primary close contacts and working under public health exemption
In this update, we cover:
- Staying safe this winter
- ATAGI winter dose recommendations
- NAIDOC Week
- Monash Health Virtual ED supports 1,000 patients
- Winter retention and surge payment
- Where to get your free flu vaccination
- Preparing for Accreditation
- Changes to our Early COVID Therapies clinic service and referral process
- Celebrating the Walk for Monash Children’s Hospital 2022
- New mural turns Monash Children’s Hospital courtyard into an ocean oasis
Staying safe this winter
Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 wastewater detections are continuing to increase, and these variants are now expected to overtake the BA.2 strain, becoming the prevalent strains of COVID-19 in Victoria.
BA.4 and BA.5 are more infectious than previous variants, and have a greater ability to evade immunity provided by vaccination and earlier COVID-19 infection. As a result, they are likely to lead to increased cases, including reinfections, and hospital admissions.
There is no evidence at this stage that the BA.4/BA.5 variants cause more severe disease.
The threat of these emerging COVID-19 variants, alongside large spikes in the spread of cold and flu viruses, mean that it is a good time to remind ourselves of the simple things we can all do to stay healthy and well this winter:
- Stay up to date with vaccinations
- Wear a mask when we can’t maintain a safe physical distance from others
- Stay home when unwell
- Get tested and report positive results
ATAGI winter dose recommendations
ATAGI has updated its recommendations for a winter dose of COVID-19 vaccine to help reduce severe disease from the emerging surge of Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariant infections, and to reduce the burden on hospitals and the healthcare system in coming months.
The updated recommendations include:
- Adults aged 50 to 64 years are now recommended to receive a winter booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
- The interval recommended between a recent SARS-CoV-2 infection or the first booster dose and a winter booster dose is now three months.
Employees wanting to get a fourth dose of the vaccine can do so through their GP, local pharmacy, the Frankston Community Vaccination Hub or at the Dandenong Plaza, Level 3, 23-55 McCrae Street, Dandenong. Bookings are highly recommended as neither site is operated by Monash Health. Monash Health is currently reviewing options available for dedicated employee vaccination.
Call the Coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398 or book online.
NAIDOC Week
This week is NAIDOC Week (3-10 July). NAIDOC Week is an opportunity to come together and pay respect to culture, language, and Country, and to recognise the achievements of all First Nations people.
At this week’s Employee Forum we spoke with Dr Mangatjay McGregor, Yolngu man and Psychiatry Registrar, and Ashleigh Rowe, Jerrinjan woman of Dharawal country and Clinical Psychologist, about what NAIDOC week means to them. If you missed the forum, you can watch it here.
Monash Health Virtual ED supports 1,000 patients
Our Virtual ED service recently provided care for its 1,000th patient, less than five months since commencing operation.
The Virtual ED service is offered exclusively to Ambulance Victoria, enabling their team to consult an emergency physician via telehealth, where appropriate, rather than directly proceeding to an emergency department. The consultations occur via telehealth (video and audio) and are offered seven days per week, from 12pm – 9pm.
Over the first 1,000 patients, some 77% have not required transportation to an Emergency Department. This has made a significant contribution to reducing the load on our already busy Emergency teams, while providing a convenient, high-quality service that is valued by our consumers.
The south east Melbourne Virtual ED was established by Alfred Health, Monash Health and Peninsula Health, working in partnership with Ambulance Victoria and supported by the Department of Health.
Planning is underway to expand the service with a view to providing direct access to other health professionals such as GPs and residential aged care facilities.
Winter retention and surge payment
Details about how the Victorian Government’s ‘Winter Retention and Surge Payment’ will be paid are now available.
All clinical and non-clinical staff employed by the Victorian public health system who meet the eligibility criteria will receive a payment of up to $3,000. The payment will be split across two payment periods between 15 August and 30 September and will be subject to tax.
Broadly speaking, the $3,000 maximum payment will be pro-rated if you work part-time or casual hours and/or if you are not employed by the Victorian health system for the full eligibility period (1 July until 30 September 2022). Employees on paid leave will be eligible for the payment.
Full eligibility criteria, plus detailed FAQs, are available here.
Where to get your free flu vaccination
Influenza vaccinations are available for all Monash Health employees from our Infection Prevention offices without bookings – just bring your Employee ID and Medicare card to:
- Clayton – Infection Prevention Office, Level 2 | Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 4pm
- Dandenong – Infection Prevention Office, Level 1 | Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm
- Casey – Infection Prevention Office, Level 1 | Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm
- Kingston – Infection Prevention Office, Building 4, Ground floor | Monday to Thursday, 12.30pm to 1.30pm
- Moorabbin – Infection Prevention Office, Ground floor | Tuesday to Thursday, 11am to 12pm.
All Monash Health employees are required to be vaccinated for Influenza.
Accreditation is approaching
We are now six weeks from our National Standards accreditation assessment, scheduled for Monday 15 August to Friday 19 August 2022.
Our current focus is Give Me Five/Performance Appraisals. If you haven’t had a Give Me Five or Performance Conversation in the last 12 months, please book one in with your manager at a convenient time for both of you.
More information, resources, and tools you need to be Accreditation-ready can be found on our employee Accreditation website.
Changes to our Early COVID Therapies clinic service and referral process
We have adopted a new model of care for our Early COVID Therapies. By simplifying the referral process to internal and COVID Medium Pathway referrals only, we are increasing the number of patients we can treat at our satellite clinic.
Under the new model:
- GP and self-referrals into the clinic are removed.
- Oral therapies will now be provided by GPs or GP Respiratory Clinics.
- Medium COVID-19 Pathway patients are prioritised for assessment and review and provided with a Pharmacy review upfront.
- Remdesivir remains available for high-risk (haematology, transplant patients) via internal referral
Instead of self-referrals, high-risk patients contact their specialty nurse or treating doctors when they test positive for COVID-19. Our treating unit doctors assess for and prescribe antivirals (Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir, Remdesivir and Molnupiravir), which can be dispensed from the Monash Pharmacy or through a community pharmacy.
A new internal online referral system for Monash Health physicians/registrars and our Emergency Departments is now available via our Early COVID-19 treatments webpage.
Celebrating the Walk for Monash Children’s Hospital 2022
Donations have now closed for the 2022 Walk for Monash Children’s Hospital, and a record $216,000 was raised.
Funds from this year’s Walk will support the delivery of Music and Child Life Therapy programs at Monash Children’s Hospital.
Thank you to everyone who came out to Jells Park and to all the participants who helped raise these important funds.
New mural turns Monash Children’s Hospital courtyard into an ocean oasis
The Monash Children’s Hospital School has unveiled a new ocean mural in the Intensive Care Courtyard of the Oasis Unit at Monash Children’s Hospital.
This is the third mural in a series of artworks completed by artist Lynton Allan at MCH and supported by generous donations from South Oakleigh College and Haileybury Junior School, Edrington Campus, Berwick.
Read more and view the mural here.
Thank you, as always, for the role you play in providing care to our community.
Martin Keogh Acting Chief Executive
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.