Welcome to what we expect will be another big week. Our teams continue their work to support the current Tier 4 COVID-19 response, making the necessary changes to our practices to ensure we can meet the current demands on our services. I encourage you to read the daily Metro North Incident Controller messages, as these are our single point of truth for any updates and changes relating to Metro North’s response.

A few updates today:

Collaboration with private partners

Today, TPCH commenced the direct transfer of eligible, non-COVID-19 patients to our private partner, St Vincent’s Private Hospital Northside. This is one of a number of strategies to help build additional capacity across Metro North, so we can provide care to the increasing number of COVID-19 patients who require hospital admission.

Coordinating these transfers is a significant undertaking by staff at both TPCH and St Vincent’s, and I would like to acknowledge and thank everyone involved in supporting this important strategy.

Ward 1E access changes

Yesterday, Ward 1E opened as a clinical area to care for COVID-19 patients. As a result, temporary zip walls have been installed to assist with restricting access to this area.

This means that staff requiring access to clinical areas and services on Level 1 other than Ward 1E and the Respiratory Investigations Unit, will be unable to use this corridor, and will need to use an alternate route, with the exception of emergency situations.

While we understand this arrangement may cause some inconvenience to our staff, it is essential in helping us keeping our workforce safe at this time.

Emergency Department Medical Tent

Tomorrow, TPCH will commence operation of its Emergency Department (ED) Medical Tent.  This Tent will be utilised as an additional waiting area for COVID-19 positive patients who present to our ED for care. Patients waiting in the Tent will be observed and monitored by ED nursing staff.

The Medical Tent will operate from 10am to 6pm, 7 days a week.

The establishment of the Medical Tent will help improve patient flow through the ED and support the timely care and treatment of patients.

Mask reminder

Please be reminded that P2/N5 masks only need to be changed if visibly soiled or when being removed for meal breaks. This is the advice from our Infection Management Team that remains during Tier 4.

Returning COVID-19 impacted staff to work

We still have a number of TPCH staff who are furloughed due to being COVID-19 positive or a close contact. To allow us to support these impacted staff to return to the workplace in the required timeframes, we ask that staff and/or line managers email the name and contact number of the relevant staff member/s to: TPCHContactTracing@health.qld.gov.au.

Important points:

• Staff should wait to be contacted by TPCH’s Contact Tracing Team to receive formal advice on their return to work.
• If a staff member is a close contact and is asymptomatic, they must escalate their request to return to work through their line manager, who will then escalate to TPCH’s Incident Controller for approval. Staff must not return to the workplace until approval from the Incident Controller has been granted.

Other TPCH News

Yarning Circle

All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Staff across TPCH are invited to attend TPCH’s First Nation Yarning Circle tomorrow, Tuesday 25 January.

The aim of these yarns is to have a conversation about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, focussing on the Better Together Plan towards Closing the Gap and looking towards Health Equity principles. It’s about sharing ideas and learning from each about building better together health and wellbeing around access and culturally safe and responsive services.

Date: Tuesday 25 January, 2022
Time: 12 -1 pm
Where: Via Teams – Join meeting

My quote for today

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change” – Albert Einstein

Tami Photinos
Executive Director