Media release – Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Health, 31 October 2021
Health workforce protects against COVID-19
The overwhelming majority of Tasmanian health workers have complied with a Public Health Direction to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and I commend them for their efforts.
At the deadline of 12.01am today, 15,970 Department of Health employees or 99 per cent of the workforce had reported their vaccination or medical exemption evidence as required.
I would like to thank each and every one of these people for making sure they have done what they can to help keep Tasmanians – including some of the most vulnerable – as safe as they can be against COVID-19.
I know that every day this workforce takes on the responsibility of looking after Tasmanians, but it is especially pleasing that these people have been vaccinated to protect not just themselves, but all of us.
It is extremely important that in our health settings we do all we can to prevent COVID-19 from spreading. A vaccinated health workforce is a key part of that.
For the small number of employees who have either not been vaccinated, or have not informed the Department of Health of their vaccination evidence, they are no longer able to work for the Department, and will not be paid.
170 employees by headcount failed to comply which includes 88 permanent employees (which represents 63 FTE) and 82 fixed term or casual employees, representing approximately 1 per cent of our workforce.
In terms of impact on permanent positions, on our most recent award headcount records this includes:
- 0 doctors (from over 1400 paid headcount)
- 38 nurses or 27 FTE (from close to 6000 paid headcount)
- 7 allied health practitioners (from 1380 paid headcount)
- 4 paramedics (from over 590 headcount)
Pleasingly, due to the relatively small numbers of people who failed to comply with the Public Health Direction by the deadline, it is not anticipated that these measures will cause any interruption to service delivery.
Media release – Anita Dow MP, Shadow Health Minister, 31 October 2021
Time for genuine conversation on ability to handle threat posed by COVID
Following the astonishing admission that Tasmania’s major hospital emergency departments are currently unable to cope with patients with life threatening illnesses, the Gutwein Government needs to provide Tasmanians with genuine assurances that the health system is prepared for a COVID outbreak.
Shadow Health Minister Anita Dow said with Tasmanian borders set to open in six weeks and the Premier saying delta would arrive in the state, Tasmanians were concerned that emergency departments were already stretched to breaking point.
“The government’s own data released on Friday shows that just 19 per cent of Tasmanians presenting to the Royal Hobart Hospital and only 38 per cent to the Launceston General Hospital with potentially life threatening conditions are seen within clinically recommended timeframes,” Ms Dow said.
“The Premier has been clear that the delta variant of the COVID virus will come to Tasmania and Tasmanians want to know how the government has prepared for the likelihood that pressure on our emergency departments will increase significantly.
“The modelling the government has released is confronting and Tasmanians want genuine answers because they understand in relation to funding and resourcing the health and hospital system, the government is already a dismal failure.
“Doctors, nurses and other health professionals already stretched to breaking point want to know what the planned future looks like. Tasmanians have worked extremely hard through this pandemic and they need to know, in more detail, what the government has planned to ensure safety.”
Ms Dow said the government also needs to clearly outline how its ‘COVID at home’ care model will work.
“With our hospitals already at breaking point, the government appears to be relying on its COVID at home model to cope with an expected surge of cases.
“We’ve been told COVID at home will involve capacity to manage 2,500 sick Tasmanians at any one time but more detail is required about how this will actually work.
“Will there be a dedicated advice line for COVID at home patients, will it be staffed by qualified medical professionals and what role will GPs and community nursing services play?”
