4 April 2020
Dear Colleagues,
While you’re all busy looking after patients, we need to take care of you too. As Shaun mentioned in his message yesterday, we’re developing resources for staff wellbeing during COVID-19 which we’ll share more about next week. I have had a sneak peak and am excited about the progress that has been made in such a short time. I look forward to sharing the formal release with you soon.
Some of today’s updates are also about our top priority, looking after all of you:
- Staff fatigue reminder cards
- COVID-19 vulnerable staff guidelines
- Flu vaccines
- Website resources
- National COVID-19 clinical guidelines
Staff fatigue reminder cards
As our activity around COVID-19 increases, staff fatigue is a risk we all need to manage. We have both management and individual responsibilities to ensure we are safe at work. We are creating cards that can be attached along with your ID card with the Samn-Perellli Fatigue Risk Checklist.
The checklist is very simple: on a scale of one to 7 how do you feel with 1 fully alert (low risk) and 7 completely exhausted (extreme risk). This is a reliable self-assessment tool that can be used throughout your shift to ensure you take adequate breaks. It will also prompt you to ask your colleagues the questions – enabling each of us to look out for each other.
I’ll let you know when the cards are available (probably after Easter) and how we’ll distribute them.
COVID-19 Vulnerable Staff Guideline
Queensland Health has released a new COVID-19 Vulnerable Staff Guideline to support staff who are in a vulnerable group due to age, chronic conditions or other factors, and their managers. There is also a new COVID-19 and pregnant staff guideline. We have reviewed our own Metro North guidance to ensure it is consistent with this state guidance.
If you are a vulnerable healthcare worker, please talk to your line manager to discuss the options that are available to support you.
Flu vaccines
It’s wonderful to see thousands of you taking up the free staff influenza vaccination this week.
Metro North has 11,000 flu vaccines available this year for our staff, with priority for frontline staff. If you choose to receive your flu vaccination from a community pharmacy, please don’t forget to tell us about the details so that we can record your vaccination. We are also able to reimburse you for the cost of your vaccination – simply provide your receipt to your department’s Business Manager (via your line manager) who will be able to process a reimbursement.
The flu vaccine does not protect against COVID-19 but it will ensure you are protected against other risks this ‘flu season’!
Website resources
A quick reminder that our Metro North COVID-19 page is updated every day with up to date information. Today’s updates include revised workforce FAQs and a new Employment arrangements flowchart (under Fact Sheets leave). These are also accessible from home.
We also have new information for patients available on our website. This includes general information as well as visiting restriction information. We will continue to add more resources.
National guidelines for COVID-19
Today the new National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce has launched national clinical guidelines for caring for people with COVID-19. These are living documents – guidelines which provide evidence based guidelines which will be continually updated to support clinical decision making. I commend these to you all, to support this rapidly changing disease and approaches to its management.
The taskforce is an expert body that will identify and summarise global research findings on COVID-19. It is made up of a panel of clinical and consumer community representatives across Australia, including many of our professional associations and bodies.
This weekend, please look after yourselves and each other (and your loved ones).
Regards,
Dr Liz Rushbrook
Metro North Health Incident Controller
Metro North HHS – Overview of Cases*
| Confirmed COVID-19 Cases | Fever Clinics | |||||
| Number of clinics | Presentations | |||||
| Virtual Ward | Inpatient Ward | Inpatient ICU | Recovered | Yesterday | Total | |
| 136 | 14 | 4 | 132 | 6 | 162 | 8644 |
*With effect 1000 4 April 2020
**Metro North has one recorded death