Media release – Sarah Courtney, Minister for Health, 10 April 2020
Additional measures for North West Regional Hospital
The Tasmanian Government’s number one priority is the health and safety of Tasmanians.
That is why from today additional measures will be put in place at the North West Regional Hospital (NWRH).
This includes asking all NWRH staff who were working in the medical or surgical wards at the time of the outbreak to self-quarantine.
Importantly, we will provide accommodation for those staff who can’t do this at their home.
Additionally, given the nature of the outbreak, and the high risk setting, we will also be moving to test these staff.
While these steps are above and beyond the national guidelines, we strongly believe it is the right thing to do to ensure patient and staff safety in a high risk setting.
We understand it is vital that we also maintain critical services, including ICU, in the North West, as well as ensure we do all we can to minimise risk to staff and to the community.
However, some operational changes have had to be made. This includes closing the Emergency Department of the Mersey Community Hospital and stopping surgical procedures to allow for more staffing support at the NWRH.
The NWRH Emergency Department will remain open, maintaining emergency care in the North West. Patients requiring admission to the medical or surgical ward will be transferred to the Launceston General Hospital (LGH).
Further, ambulance services carrying patients who live east of Penguin will now be taken to the LGH.
In regards to the North West Private Hospital (NWPH), given a number of staff work across both sites, the Premier and I have been closely engaged with the Secretary and the Chief Medical Officer this afternoon, and the decision has been made for the Department of Health to take operational control of the NWPH for the purpose of management of this outbreak.
This will allow the further expansion of the Outbreak Management Team, across the NWRH and NWPH, to ensure we take a comprehensive infection control and quarantine approach across both sites.
It does not matter whether a healthcare worker is employed through the THS or the private sector, they are all Tasmanians and their welfare is our priority. We will work to provide a consistent approach across the NWPH and NWRH to ensure patient and staff safety.
These decisions impact many people and have not been taken lightly, but are important in ensuring we protect our staff, patients and the North West community, while maintaining access to critical health care services.
I thank the staff across all hospital sites in the North West for their hard work and dedication through this challenging time.
Media release – Dr Scott McKeown, Acting Director of Public Health, Public Health Services, 10 April, 2020
Coronavirus update
Since 6pm last night, Tasmania has confirmed 11 cases of coronavirus.
This brings the State’s tally to 122.
Ten of the cases are from the North West. One is from the South.
Nine cases are women, two are men.
One of the cases is a teenager, two are in their 20s, three are in their 30s, one is in their 40s, one is in their 60s and three are in their 70s.
Eight of the cases are healthcare workers who have worked at the North West Regional Hospital and/or the North West Private Hospital.
Two cases are patients at the NWRH.
The Outbreak Management Team is already identifying and contacting any person who has had close contact with any of these staff and will ensure necessary actions are taken.
In addition, Public Health Services is also following up household and social contacts of all confirmed cases.
If any hospital staff member or patient is determined to be a close contact of these cases, they will be contacted and advised of the action they need to take.
It may be necessary for other staff and patients to be tested for coronavirus as investigations progress. We will assess and test any symptomatic staff member or patient who is symptomatic and has been at risk of exposure to coronavirus.
Media release – Prof. Tony Lawler, Tasmanian Chief Medical Officer, 10 April 2020
Outbreak management update
Staff at the North West Regional Hospital who have worked in either the medical or surgical wards since 27 March 2020 will be quarantined for the next 14 days as part of a multi-faceted coronavirus outbreak mitigation strategy.
This measure is being taken as a significant effort to control the current outbreak at the North West regional Hospital. In addition to the quarantine actions, any of the identified staff will be offered testing for coronavirus, whether or not they have symptoms.
These measures go above and beyond the requirements of the National Guidelines. This indicates the seriousness of the situation and the significance of our response, and also recognises the considerable anxiety of the Workforce in the North West.
Staff are being contacted directly this afternoon and advised they will need to self-quarantine for 14 days if they have recently worked on either of these two wards. If they do not have the ability to adequately self-quarantine, they will be provided with alternative accommodation for the quarantine period.
In order to supplement the loss of staff at the NWRH due to the outbreak, the emergency department and the close observation unit at the Mersey Community Hospital will close from tomorrow. Staff from these areas will be redeployed to the NWRH.
To supplement these measures, there will be no new patients admitted to either the medical or surgical wards at the NWRH. Anyone requiring admission from the NWRH emergency department will be transferred to the Launceston General Hospital.
Ambulance calls east of Penguin requiring an ambulance will be taken directly to the Launceston General Hospital should they require transport.
The Health Department has also today taken operational control of the North West Private Hospital for the purpose of outbreak management. This is to allow the expansion of the Outbreak Management Team to deal with the situation at both the NWRH and the NWPH, as a single site.
We understand there is considerable concern within the staff cohorts at the North West hospitals and within the broader community. The measures we have put in place today are designed to mitigate the outbreak, reassure staff, and provide the best possible protection for staff, patients and the community.
We thank all our staff for their cooperation and continued commitment to providing our community with the very best health care possible.
Without doubt, the measures we are implementing are unprecedented, and we are doing so with the very best of advice and determination to mitigate the current situation as efficiently as possible.
We ask for the community’s understanding and patience as we do what we can to ensure our dedicated staff have every support they need to continue providing health services at the NWRH.
