Louise Oriti

We had some good news this week. After working our way through another COVID peak and flu season, we’ve now been able to move back to Tier 2 of our COVID and Influenza Response Plan and back to ‘moderate’ level PPE.

These changes mean we can return to much more of the planned care we postponed during Tier 3. This includes our long-wait surgery patients and our specialist outpatient clinics.

The PPE changes are also significant. For most parts of the hospital, staff now only need to wear a flat surgical mask, and protective eyewear is no longer required.

Fit-tested P2/N95 masks and protective eyewear remain essential in the Emergency Department, and in places like 6 East where we have COVID patients, suspect cases, and close contacts.

If you have any questions about what’s changed for your work area, please talk to your line manager.

COVID vaccination blitz

Across Metro North, this week we’ve been making it as easy as possible for hospital staff to access their COVID boosters, with a four-day vaccination blitz.

We reopened the vaccination clinic on the ground floor of MBICC for four days, offering appointments and drop-in vaccination opportunities for staff eligible for their third or fourth dose. Thanks again to our pharmacy and Infection Prevention teams for making the clinic possible.

The vaccination blitz ends at 4pm today, so there’s still time to drop in. You can also make an appointment for your vaccination through a range of local GP clinics and pharmacies.

Also part of the blitz has been the registration kiosk in the Education Centre, providing one-on-one support for staff needing help registering their third or fourth vaccination online. If you’re still yet to register your third or fourth dose, please log into the COVID-19 Vaccination Hub.

Phasing out the EOC

Redcliffe Hospital has operated an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) since the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the peak of our response, our EOC was running seven days a week, managing visitor exemptions and coordinating our efforts with other Metro North facilities.

As COVID increasingly becomes part of our business as usual, we’ve started to scale back our EOC and transition its functions to a more sustainable model. All going well, our EOC will stand down late next month. Like the concierge and fever clinic, our EOC team has been an essential part of our COVID response, and we’re grateful for everything they’ve done over the past two years.

Patient flow and the Emergency Department

A few weeks ago, we asked everyone for their ideas and suggestions around new ways that we could support and improve patient flow. Many of those ideas focused on the need for more patient space in the Emergency Department.

This week, we took the decision to install a temporary building outside the Emergency Department, with space for up to six or seven patients in a combination of beds and chairs.

We’ll invite our Emergency Department leaders to our staff forum next Thursday to talk more about how this space will work for patients and staff.

It’s all about balance

Recently, I was able to enjoy a very nice weekend away that included some whale watching off K’Gari. After that weekend, I was reminded about the importance of our wellness and work-life balance.

The joy of being on the sea on a bright, beautiful, cool day surrounded by so many humpback whales at play was an extreme variance from my usual weekend. After focusing so heavily on the demands of work and my parents’ changing health circumstances, it was refreshing to be reminded that there is a wide world out there for us all to enjoy. Hopefully, you are smarter than me and worked that out long ago!

We do better work when we care for ourselves and each other. #IamRedcliffe.

Louise Oriti
Executive Director
Redcliffe Hospital