Helen Boocock

It’s been another busy week for STARS with activity starting to pick up. While it might feel like things are beginning to return to normal, please remember that we are still very much operating in a pandemic environment.

Tier 3

As of Monday 7 February 2022, Metro North Health moved to Tier 3 in our COVID-19 response plan.

STARS will continue with our planned care activities, however this move allows some of the other Metro North facilities to resume some planned care. The priority still remains on ensuring we have adequate staff and resources for our COVID response work such as fever clinics, COVID patient care, and vaccination centres.

Key points in Tier 3:

• STARS continues with planned care activities
• Other Metro North facilities will resume only urgent elective surgery and procedures to deploy staff to COVID-related care.
• Outpatient appointments to be virtual, only urgent face to face where virtual is not clinically appropriate.
• Visitors per CHO direction.
• No volunteers on site.
• Vaccinated students allowed on site
• Virtual meetings only, suspension of non-essential meetings.
• No face to face training, essential training to be delivered virtually.

Working from home

The current COVID working from home arrangements will end on Sunday 13 February 2022.

Staff who are currently working from home due to Tier 4 requirements will return to the workplace as usual from Monday 14 February.

Hospital entry and checking-in

Just a reminder that the check in requirement is still in place for our facilities where proof of vaccination is needed.

There may be some confusion about this with visitors due to some other venues no longer requiring check in, so please politely remind them of the requirement.

Because of this, staff are still required to enter STARS through the Level 3 mezzanine entrance or through the car park entrances. This will allow our concierge to assist patients and visitors who enter on the ground floor.

Thank you all for your commitment and dedication to our patients during this time.

Best wishes,

Helen Boocock
A/Executive Director
Surgical, Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS)