Chief Executive Update – 10 August 2022
As of today, we have:
- 94 COVID-19 positive inpatients
- 120 employees with COVID-19
- 16 employees in precautionary quarantine
- 72 employees who are primary close contacts and working under public health exemption
In this update, we cover:
- Our National Standards accreditation assessment is next week
- Deadline for applications for Stronger Together Wellbeing Grants extended
- Employee pop-up PCR testing clinic at Clayton
- Flu vaccinations
- Monkeypox update
- Answering your questions about COVID-19 leave and payments
- Free masks to keep Victorians safe this Winter
Our National Standards accreditation assessment is next week
Our long-awaited accreditation assessment will take place next week, with 20 assessors from the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) visiting our hospitals and sites from Monday 15 August to Friday 19 August.
Having come so close on several occasions over the past two years, we look forward to welcoming the assessors and showcasing the quality work we do for our patients, consumers and each other, each and every day.
Of course, a great deal of planning and preparation goes into our assessment, and I want to thank all of our teams for their hard work and dedication in ensuring we remain accreditation-ready at all times.
As we head into accreditation week, please take some time to familiarise yourself with our Accreditation week schedule, which is now available on the employee resources page of our Accreditation website.
The schedule outlines when you can expect to see the assessors at your site, ward or area across the week. Please keep in mind that this schedule could change and that assessors may visit areas that are not on the schedule.
If you have any questions or concerns about the schedule or need assistance during accreditation week, you can email accreditation@monashhealth.org.
Applications for Stronger Together Wellbeing Grants extended
The deadline for applications for team wellbeing grants for our Monash Health teams has been extended to Friday 26 August. Thank you to all our teams who have submitted their grant applications so far.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to implement a team-based health and wellbeing initiative in your area. Submit your team’s grant application today!
Employee pop-up PCR testing clinic at Clayton
To increase access to COVID-19 testing for our employees and to reduce test result waiting times, we’ve made Full Panel PCR Testing available for symptomatic employees at our Clayton site.
Read more here about how you can be tested for COVID-19, plus other respiratory illnesses such as influenza.
Monkeypox update
As discussed by Professor Rhonda Stuart at our employee forum this week, the number of cases of monkeypox in Victoria, while still small, continues to rise.
Severe illness is unusual, but anti-viral treatments are available where required, and vaccine rollout will shortly commence to priority groups.
Close contact with a symptomatic person is typically required for human-to-human transmission to occur, but it’s important that you familiarise yourself with the procedure available on Prompt if you are treating a suspected monkeypox case.
Flu vaccination
As a Monash Health employee, flu vaccination or a declaration is mandatory, and must be completed by 15 August 2022. You can walk into any of our Infection Prevention offices shown here; no bookings are required. Please bring your Medicare card and Employee ID card.
Answering your questions about COVID-related leave and payments
At yesterday’s employee forum, we were joined by Karen Lowe and members of our People & Culture team to answer your questions on COVID-related leave, EBAs and the HealthCare Worker Winter Retention and Surge Payments. You can watch the recording here if you missed it.
Free masks to keep Victorians safe this Winter
To help reduce transmission of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases and protect the most vulnerable members of our community, the Victorian Government has recently announced the provision of free N95 and KN95 masks.
More than three million masks will be handed out to the community through state-run testing sites, community health services across Victoria and across the public transport network. You can read more in the Premier’s announcement here.
Thank you, as always, for the work that you do.
Andrew StrippChief 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.
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.