Dear colleagues,

Queensland has recorded two new cases today, meanwhile three of our State’s cases have recovered which means our active total is now 25. Of the two new cases, one is a sibling of a student at Staines Memorial College, known to have been a contact of someone who has COVID-19 and who is already in quarantine. The other is a 32-year-old healthcare worker at Ipswich Hospital who had contact with a known case. The Chief Health Officer today again stressed the important of having no more than 10 people at a household at any one time. So please make sure you are sticking to the restrictions in place here in Queensland.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! I was about to say what a lovely day it was, but then it started raining! I hope no Father’s Day picnics were ruined and that you and your loved ones can spend the rest of the afternoon inside, warm and enjoying the lovely stay-at-home weather this Sunday has turned into. For those of you who might be separated from your father and other loved ones today, my heart goes out to you. The border closures have no doubt been difficult on many families, but it’s important to keep doing what we can to minimise the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. Don’t forget to give them a virtual hug or do it the old-fashioned way and a post a letter with a photo and a chocolate! It might be a nice surprise to get something in the mail…although our mail services are a little slow at the moment so it may take a bit of time to get to its final destination.

I am hoping to leave the EOC at lunch time to spend some time with my husband and two of our four children and their partners and then dinner with my father in law. I love family celebrations and like most of you I do hate that we cannot all be together like we have done in the past. We have to be positive about what we have currently, and while the world as we would like it is not quite “right” we have to be mindful we are doing what we are doing for all the best reasons. So, let us enjoy what we have and know that if we do the right things now, we will eventually return to some form of normality.

Upcoming updates

We continue to work on a few things here in the MN EOC. Watch this space for information regarding PPE, the leave provisions guide and any more COVID-19 news that might affect you and your family. There will be vidcasts again, during the week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so keep an eye out for those emails and start thinking of any questions you might want to ask. Remember, you can ask anonymously, so please don’t be shy! We love to hear from you and help where we can. Remember to ask Shaun this week how is scallop pies turned out!!!

Wellness check

I can’t stress enough how important it so for you to take a moment and check in with yourself! Have a cup of tea (maybe even a glass of wine), run a bath or enjoy your all-time favourite movie on this lovely Sunday and treat yourself to some you-time! Everyone at Metro North plays a crucial role in ensuring we deliver the best quality healthcare to our patients, whether you’re doing shifts on the concierge, testing patients for COVID-19, working in the labs or thoroughly cleaning high-touch areas – you’re all contributing to the success of our pandemic response. It can be hard to make time for yourself, and can sometimes feel selfish, especially if you’re a parent or carer!! But I strongly encourage you to take at least a good hour where you can do, read or watch whatever you want!

Keep an eye out on each other too. If you notice someone is acting out of character or appears to be socially withdrawing, ask R U OK? Take a chance to connect with them, ask how they are and raise your concerns – these conversations aren’t always easy but asking the question is the first step, and it helps for that person to feel noticed, acknowledged, and cared for. As always, don’t hold back from contacting our employee assistance program Benestar and reading through the Staff Wellbeing resources – these are here for you whenever you need.

As always, a massive thank you to all staff who are working today and yesterday – to be the biggest, best and nicest hospital and health service, we rely on people like you!  And once again, finally I hope every single DAD in MN has a wonderful day today.  To those Dads who are working, thank you and for those who are not….have a great day off!!!

Kind regards,
Alanna Geary
Metro North Incident Commander

Metro North HHS – Overview of Cases*

*With effect 6 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.