Dear colleagues, 

Some great news overnight – Queensland recorded no additional cases of COVID-19. The State’s active total is now at 25 and it’s good to hear of all those diagnosed with the virus are making recoveries. We are not out of the woods yet! But it’s encouraging to hear of 0 new cases.  

Vidcasts 

Thanks to everyone who tuned into the vidcast I did with our CE Shaun Drummond and I today, we will continue to run these for as long as staff are finding them useful. We continue to see hundreds of you joining the sessions and it’s a great opportunity to answer your questions quickly. There will be another vidcast tomorrow on Saturday at 11 am, so, if you are a weekend working warrior then please, come and talk to us! 

Wearing masks 

We continue to receive quite a few questions regarding masks, some of which we answered in vidcasts this week – if you missed out on the live session please go and watch them! The summary of the tips, tricks and psychology vidcast was also very informative. If you do have concerns or questions about wearing a mask, please read through and watch these resources, as the question you have on your mind has probably already been answered!  

Staff and non-staff registration 

Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to look after our concierge and reception services across Metro North. It is incredibly important that we take note and record anyone who enters our facility doors to assist in contact tracing should the need arise. If you have questions about checking-in or checking-out, please get in touch with your local EOCs. They have been provided all the relevant information and are helping us to keep our patients, other visitors and you safe.  

Self-care September  

This week Jackie Hanson and Bruce Sullivan launched Metro North’s Self-Care September! As we enter our eighth month into the pandemic, it’s important to properly check-in on ourselves and with one another. Managing our wellbeing, fatigue and overall health is incredibly important. Make sure you’re keeping healthy and well:  

• Eating well 
• Drinking plenty of water 
• Get some sunshine! 
• Get enough sleep 
• Stay in touch with your friends and family, why not give them a call now! 

Please use Benestar, our employee assistance program, who are there to help improve and support the development of the health and wellbeing of you and your family. Our Staff Wellbeing page also contains a number of useful resources that are well-worth tapping in to.  

If you follow our Facebook page you might’ve already seen this picture, but it’s quite relevant for all of us at Metro North! If you’re walking past someone, don’t forget to give them a wink or throw a thumbs up! Even though we all smile with our eyes too, it can be harder to pick up on when looking from afar or walking by, and to be honest some people have more expressive eyes than others!!!   

Remember to keep checking on each other. Next Thursday is R U OK Day so don’t forget to wear yellow to remind us all to check on each other. We are in this together so let’s show our support to each other!!! 

Remember “No matter how much falls on us, we need to keep plowing ahead. That is the only way to keep the roads clear”. 

You will be hearing from me over the weekend but for those who will not be looking at your emails over the next couple of days, I wish every Dad out there a very Happy Father’s Day and I do hope that you can all touch base with your own fathers on the weekend.   

Kind regards, 
Alanna Geary 
Metro North Incident Commander

Metro North HHS – Overview of Cases*

*With effect 4 September 2020, 1000

**Metro North has three recorded deaths (one person a return traveller into NSW, who passed away in NSW)

*** These numbers reflect the cases being managed by Metro North.