COVID-19 update 352 | 13/02/2022

Dear colleagues,

• Focusing on your own health and wellbeing
• Supporting staff resilience
• A helpful wellbeing
• Mask reminder for returning workers
• Fit testing and fit checking
• Recording your fit testing status
• Your nearest staff PCR and RAT services

Further to my comments in yesterday’s message it is important that we all continue to look out for one another and your own personal health and wellbeing in these difficult times. 

To help support this I have detailed a number of upcoming wellness sessions and useful resources for staff to access this week. 

Focusing on your own health and wellbeing 

This week the Staff Psychology Open Door sessions will continue at each facility and directorate. 

I would strongly recommend as many staff as possible take the time to attend these weekly interactive group TEAMS meetings. 

The main purpose of these sessions is to provide an opportunity for staff to take a brief moment for themselves and have a conversation with colleagues and a Metro North Psychologist to explore coping strategies for wellbeing in the current COVID-19 situation.  

These facility specific sessions are offered via a Teams meeting link according to the schedule below: 

 

Supporting staff resilience 

In addition, to the Staff Psychology Open Door sessions above, our Metro North Culture and Wellbeing team, are also delivering weekly 20-minute support sessions for all staff. 

These insightful sessions introduce ideas on how to support ourselves and each other by building a culture of resilience and wellbeing during challenging times. 

Tomorrow, the next interactive session is via Teams at 10.00 am and again at 12.00 pm, and will focus on Embracing Mindfulness. 

Click here to join the sessions.  

A helpful wellbeing resource 

The Staff Wellbeing Portal is a very useful online resource that each one of us should take the time to explore. 

Timely social, emotional, physical and financial wellbeing links, resources and tips covering everything you can think of is on the site for staff. 

Things like useful tips and guidance for eating well, managing anxiety, money management, parenting and much more. Please take the time to visit the Staff Wellbeing Portal. 

Mask reminder for returning workers 

As the current working from home arrangements will finish today and staff will return to their workplace from Monday, I remind all staff that facemasks are mandatory. 

Masks should be worn at all times by healthcare workers and visitors in hospitals, healthcare settings, residential aged care facilities, disability accommodations and prisons.  

This includes when sitting at your desk, unless you are working alone in your own office. 

I encourage you to view the PPE matrix which outlines the appropriate PPE for your type of work given that the Metro North region is still in the high-risk category.  

Fit testing and fit checking 

Metro North Health remains committed to prioritising fit testing for all our frontline staff. Please check the fit testing schedule on the extranet for local information.    

The National Guideline, referenced in the Queensland Health guideline, recommends that you do a fit check every time you don an N95 mask to ensure you have a good seal. In an emergent situation, if your fitted mask cannot be located, please escalate to your team leader/hospital coordinator. A fit checked P2/N95 can be worn, as a last resort, until you are fit tested. You should not participate in aerosol generating procedures if you are not wearing a fit tested mask.  

If you have any concerns about fit testing, you can submit them via the fit testing feedback portal. Urgent issues should be escalated to your supervisor and local EOC for resolution.    

Your nearest staff PCR and RAT services 

For the latest opening staff testing hours and locations please visit the Metro North extranet. Please bring your staff ID and Medicare cards.  

A full list of alternate COVID-19 testing services open to the public is updated daily and can be found on the Queensland Health fever clinic site. Staff can also visit any of these sites.  

Have a wonderful Sunday.    

Kind regards,

Alanna Geary 
Metro North Health Incident Controller

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Helpful links

• Register your positive RAT result
• Upload evidence of your vaccine
• Qld Health contact tracing list
• Register for your vaccine
• Qld Health general COVID-19 page
• Metro North COVID-19 extranet
• COVID vidcast recordings on QHEPS

Metro North HHS – overview of cases*

Norfolk Island – overview of cases****

*As at the above date
**Metro North Health has 32 recorded deaths (one person a return traveller into NSW, who passed away in NSW)
*** These numbers reflect the cases being managed by Metro North Health.
**** As part of an Intergovernmental Agreement, from 1 January 2022 Metro North Health is providing a number of health support services to Norfolk Island. This includes advice and support to staff on island in terms of managing COVID patients.  The numbers in this section of the table refer to COVID patients who remain on Norfolk Island and are receiving direct care by staff on Norfolk Island.