Dr Simon Bugden Acting Executive Director Caboolture, Kilcoy & Woodford Clinical Directorate

Lots going on. I want to acknowledge that we have all been working really hard, so want to give a shout out to a few specific staff groups today:

• Our QAS colleagues have been under incredible demand over recent days … please be extra kind & thankful to them.
• Kilcoy Hospital saw 100 people at their fever clinic yesterday, while their landlines were broken, all on top of their usual work … thanks for being so agile, thanks to redeployed staff who are helping, more resources are on the way.
• The ED team have been seeing huge numbers, with significant staff shortages, exposed to the most COVID cases … please help admitted patients to transition quickly from the ED to the wards.
• Our SOPD team who are downscaling outpatients (lots of work) while also standing up a rapidly growing staff testing service … thanks for your speedy changes, willingness to take on care for symptomatic people, while maintaining friendly smiles.
• All the staff who have done overtime, extra shifts & the few who have offered, done the occasional double shift … this comes at a tiring cost, recover well, you have provided care when others have been unable to.

Our staff testing service is growing rapidly, it is now based in the staff carpark. If CKW staff have COVID symptoms or need a clearance test, please feel free to use this service 0700-1730h, everyday. We plan to open the testing service to all MN staff from tomorrow afternoon.

Expect the requirements for isolation & testing to change in the next day or two. This is an adjustment to reflect the increasing community prevalence of COVID & need to maintain our essential healthcare workforce.

PPE is each of our greatest protection. N95 masks & eyewear are essential when in clinical service areas. This means that masks & eyewear will need to be donned before entering the clinical services building. You are protecting yourself, your family & your colleagues.

If you have a small size face, you may have noticed that the Proshield small & 3M 1860 small are becoming harder to locate. To provide more options for small size faces, we will also be supplying Trident N95 masks. Please do a fit check to ensure a good seal, before deciding whether to wear them in clinical areas.

Thanks to the early morning PPE welcome team, we have a list of COVID songs. Take a listen to today’s 5 sec soundbite by opening the attached jingle (above)

Stay calm, slow COVID & look out for colleagues going the extra mile,

Simon

Acting Executive Director

Caboolture, Kilcoy & Woodford Clinical Directorate