30 June 2020
Dear Colleagues,
It’s impossible to not be aware of the situation interstate right now and how our colleagues in healthcare are dealing with another wave of COVID-19. There have been multiple requests, through both personal and official channels, for staff to assist our colleagues interstate. The situation is changing quickly and we need to ensure our own health service is supported as our priority, particularly given the quarantine requirements for people entering Queensland from a declared hotspot. For this reason, we are not encouraging diversion away from Metro North at this time.
If you do receive a request to assist a health service interstate or even elsewhere in Queensland, please talk to your line manager in the first instance. Any requests for assistance with another health service’s pandemic response will be considered, mindful of our own response requirements and can only be approved by our Chief Executive through your Executive Director and supervisor.
As our Health Incident Commander Alanna Geary informed everyone yesterday, Metro North has moved to a Tier 1 response. Details of what that means in a practical sense are available online here. Our fever clinics have been extremely busy since yesterday. I want to thank all the staff working in our clinics and those who have slotted in at short notice to lend a hand.
It is imperative that we all strengthen our compliance with the Chief Health Officer’s advice to protect ourselves, our colleagues, patients and loved ones. Please observe physical distancing wherever it is possible, frequently wash your hands, cover your coughs and sneezes, and please stay home is you feel unwell and get tested if you have any symptoms. This is the best thing we can do to protect our community.
I also want to remind people that COVID isn’t the only reason to take care of yourselves. I have witnessed a few times lately staff taking unnecessary risks when crossing busy roads. There is no reason to be running into traffic or not using a provided safe crossing.
Thank you to everyone who has talked with me about our push towards creating values oriented systems. This week I’ve visited Redcliffe, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and The Prince Charles Hospital to chat with staff about what’s happening locally and more broadly across the health service. Unfortunately, due to technical issues, I couldn’t hold my vidcast at TPCH yesterday but it was good to speak to those staff who attended in person. The TPCH vidcast will be rescheduled.
Regards,
Jackie Hanson
Chief Operating Officer