Bass Coast Health gears up for peak in Covid cases
CEO Jan Child said they anticipated a peak in cases in December and January.
As Victoria adjusts to life “living with Covid”, many of us are enjoying increased freedom as restrictions ease.
However for our healthcare staff, the pressure has not eased.
Bass Coast Health CEO Jan Child said the teams across the organisation continue to work hard, to prepare for the anticipated peak in cases in December and January.
“From our supply team sourcing adequate supplies of personal protective equipment so that our staff can serve our community safely, to our nursing teams filling shifts where vacancies have arisen due to staff being furloughed, every team is working towards ensuring Bass Coast Health is there for our community,” Ms Child said.
“There is no doubt the rise in Covid cases in Wonthaggi and Inverloch in recent weeks put pressure on our health service. We’ve conducted up to 325 tests per day at our Wonthaggi testing tent and up to 87 tests per day at our testing tent at Cowes, where we have extended the hours and are encouraging people to travel to in order to ease the pressure on our Wonthaggi tent.
“This demand has resulted in our staff being kept on their feet and we’ve even brought in additional staff from Melbourne to assist us with the demand for tests.”
Roster pressure
Ms Child said the pressure on staff rosters had also increased, with some staff unable to work when their children were caught up in exposures at primary schools, both locally and on the Mornington Peninsula.
“We knew this scenario was to occur as restrictions eased and people became more mobile. These events have shown that Covid is still here and we do expect numbers to grow still, particularly as more people come to our community over summer.
"As we get more Covid cases, the rate of cases will continue to grow too. That’s why we’ve pushed for vaccinations and that’s why we are operating two testing tents, as the more we reduce our risk of transmission and hospitalisation, and the earlier we detect Covid cases, the more we are able to contain the spread.”
She urged people to follow the public health orders, including wearing masks inside when required, maintaining physical distance and getting tested when they show symptoms. She encouraged anyone who hadn’t already received their vaccination to do so.
Recruitment
The health service is actively recruiting, with Ms Child saying there was a shortage of staff.
“As a health service, we hope to resume business as usual as soon as we can, however our ability to do so is being delayed by our workforce shortage. There is no doubt that we will see further Covid outbreaks, with resulting impacts on our staffing.
“However, we have planned for this and are seeking additional people to join our workforce. Anyone interested in working with our health service in such roles as nursing, cleaning, portering and in any other way they feel they can assist, is encouraged to contact our Human Resources team to find out what opportunities are available.”
However she reassured the community that the hospital is well placed to deal with any local Covid cases.
“For treating Covid cases, Bass Coast Health has a first-class emergency service within the Armitage Emergency Department at Wonthaggi Hospital that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We have also joined with other local health services to provide care to Covid patients at home where their health allows,” Ms Child said.
Bass Coast Health Human Resources staff can be contacted via hr@basscoasthealth.org.au or by phoning 5671 3151.
