Angie Dobbrick Executive Director Caboolture, Kilcoy & Woodford Clinical Directorate
Great work by everyone, what a COVID response – shout out to the ICU today for their management of a patient over the weekend!
- Latest modelling continues to suggest a peak in late January/ early February. Expect the admissions to increase soon, but ICU numbers to be much less (than expected with delta).
- Our COVID planning & response is working really well, we got this.
- Any staff who can be redeployed due to the reduction of planned care need to be flagged with the workforce coordinators of each discipline so that we can cover emergent leave.
- See the details below the signature block for all the important daily update details
Metro North’s Culture and Wellbeing team is launching a new group support program for staff. The Staff Psychology Open Door is a virtual session available to all Caboolture, Kilcoy and Woodford staff every Monday (2:30-3:15pm) with the first session commencing today. The purpose is to provide a space for staff to explore coping strategies for wellbeing in the current COVID-19 situation. The session will be offered via Teams – Join the meeting
For the Staff Psychology hotline please call 3647 9673 or email: MNStaffPsychology@health.qld.gov.au
Other wellbeing services available are:
- Peer Responder Program
- Benestar
Staff wellbeing resources can be found on the Staff Extranet (Staff wellbeing – Extranet (health.qld.gov.au)) and QHEPS page (Our People’s Wellbeing | Values in Action | Metro North HHS (health.qld.gov.au))
Please see following link for your feedback: Your Feedback – Friday 14 January – Page 1 of 3 – Metro North – Citizen Space
Question: Tell me about a colleague who needs to be recognised for the great person they are and what they do
Stay calm, slow COVID & stay informed- changes will likely come tomorrow.
Take care
Ps. Please print & place in areas where staff don’t read email, thanks
PPs. I didn’t update over the weekend because there were no changes.
Angie Dobbrick
Executive Director
Further information:
Monday IMT Update
New info in italics
Super important info in yellow highlight
- Incident Controller update
- Omicron continues to be the predominant strain in our area
- MN now has 141 ward patients, 8 in ICU and a total of 776 patients in MN care. CKW: 16 inpatients
- MN looking to move to Tier 4 tomorrow- await confirmation
- Escalate any roster shortfalls ASAP via line management & to EOC.
- All non urgent planned care postponed until after Jan 31st
- If your activity is down, the expectation is that a similar proportion of staff are offered daily for redeployment. All redeployable staff = please notify EOC as early as possible, call 5014 or email EOC-CabKilcoy@health.qld.gov.au
- Redeployment priority areas are currently testing clinic, booster clinics, Emergency Department & acute admissions, and MN Virtual Ward.
- We have plenty of PPE, but we need wise stewardship to be prepared for the next few weeks. Please only change masks when definitely required.
- Exec Dir, Dir Ops Please let EOC know about all redeployable staff ASAP, even if for a couple of hours, your help is required.
We are currently working with Caboolture Private to partner with them in an effort to create capacity in patient bedstock – 4 patients are planned for Tuesday.
Any issues with admissions or return of patients to RACFs please contact RADAR and they will support the discharge process.
All deaths of patients with COVID need to be reported via EOC regardless of if it was primary diagnosis or not. - Facilities management MN staff testing clinic in the staff carpark. Chapel and adjacent outdoor gardens are a staff eating & relaxing zone.
- HR Staff Note the updated COVID leave remuneration flowchart. Staff can work in different healthcare facilities, limiting movement if they can. Please be aware of the difference between special discretionary leave and pandemic leave and the delegations to approve.
January 26th Public Holiday will be treated as usual AT THIS STAGE but await confirmation from MN on Friday. - PPE If an 1870 mask or Halyard regular Mask fits you, please use this model. Trident brand is now being distributed as an option for small faces but is in low supply at the moment. N95 masks & eyewear must be worn before entering a clinical service area. Gown/gloves only if a high risk patient or aerosolising procedure. PPE pain = www ‘PPE comfort hacks’. Masks over nose & mouth, eyewear over eyes. Please ensure mask wearing/ donning and doffing is diligently adhered to.
- Patient testing ED does not provide a COVID testing service. Birthing women & OT cases without symptoms + low risk ward admissions = RAT test. RAT testing all new Kilcoy ward admissions + all ED discharges to RACF/Disability homes/Prison/Private Hospitals. High risk admissions = Genexpert (PCR). Discharged patients = PCR (24hrs) only if symptoms or >4h with an active positive case. No symptoms or epi risk factors & discharge likely = no test.
- Staff testing Some home RAT kits are being distributed from the staff carpark tent, in selective situations A Metro North staff COVID-19 Testing clinic is being operated out of the Caboolture Hospital Staff Car Park 7:30 – 15:30 every day
- Must be a staff member with a Metro North staff ID badge or family member accompanied MNH staff member Also available to all Emergency services and Correctional personnel
- PCR and RAT testing is available
Testing requirements
- At the onset of symptoms
Close contact – Day 6 clearance
Positive Staff:
- Asymptomatic- return to work day 8 (no test)
- Symptomatic on day 7 – await 72 hrs after asymptomatic & return to work (no test required)
Close contact that can isolate at a different residence for 48 hrs:
- RAT test after 48hrs of moving out of positive environment – if positive – follow positive pathway
- If negative – RAT test prior to each shift up until day 14 observe quarantine directions
- Kilcoy Hospital testing clinic 0900-1200h.
- Close contact – National Cabinet has announced some potential changes with the definition of close contacts. We are yet to receive advice from the State and the current Directions should remain
- Fit testing call 2422 for prioritised bookings. Staff who have not been fit tested, are safe to work as long as they have fit checked the mask. Please fit check every time a mask is applied. Cannot be accessed by students or other non-MN staff, until after all MN staff fit tested.
- Staff test positive Managers > see the ‘CKW Outbreak Management Guide’ + ‘COVID Return to work’ guideline.
- Booster clinic Woodford Prison to provide boosters to prisoners & QCS staff. Staff booster clinic in the library, M-F 0800-1530h next week; book in via CKWVaccinations@health.qld.gov.au or simply walk-in.
- Patients Need to wear masks, unless really unable to. Please encourage & request, but avoid being confrontational.
- Isolation/close/casual contacts Please discuss with your line manager for risk stratification & advice. Children can be admitted to Virtual Ward.
- COVID positive admissions Well = admit via Health Direct, unwell but can be cared for at home= MN Virtual Ward, unwell = Caboolture Hospital, very unwell = discuss with ICU.
- Concierge Questionnaire screening form for patients only, ask questions for visitors (but no form needed), no temperature scanning, N95 mask & eyewear for all Concierge staff while in roles. ALL staff to have N95 masks on before entering & while in the Clinical Services building.
- Visitors Limit of 2 per patient at a time, no overcrowding, ALL visitors must wear masks ALL the time, no mask = no entry.
- Elective care OT = cat 1 & urgent Cat 2, Scopes = cat 4 & urgent 5, SOPD = time urgent care only, AH-OPD = time urgent care only.
- Community QAS activity very high. COVID spreading in many NHs, contact RADAR for NH related clinical issues.
- Tearooms please try to eat outdoors, if you eat indoors > please socially distance super well & minimise mask off time.
- Infection Control Staff contact tracing to stop
Focus areas for today
- Establishment of second COVID ward
- Redeployment the amount of staff being offered is not reflecting the decreased activity of some areas, more help is required
- Assessing risk at Woodford and supporting patients
- Working with Caboolture Private Hospital to expand bed capacity.
Issues to raise, by exception, + roster holes in the next 48hrs
- ED/Woodford/Kilcoy WP positive prisoners at Woodford,
- SICU – medical staffing absences but coverage planned
- MOPS nursing shortfalls being managed and monitored,
- WCF SCN and maternity nursing tight
- MH – nil noted
- Infection Control – assessing/ contact tracing 4A
- Outpatients Downscaling to fewer clinics (that are full), lots of redeployment
- iMed several staff sick or furloughed
- Consumers/Engagement
- AH/Pharmacy Call 8153 for AH discharge help, focusing on MOC and Staff Wellbeing
- DON
- DMS
- AO
- PSS
- Finance
- Q&S
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health – Mob-link for A &TSI referral and access for support if diagnosed or isolated with COVID https://www.iuih.org.au/our-services/mob-link-connecting-with-mob-during-covid/