Nurses Nicki Attwood and Bridget Sparks buddy up to make sure they can both confidently put on Personal Protective Equipment under pressure.
Hauora Tairāwhiti’s full-scale Emergency Operations Centre was activated last weekend in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the announcement from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern that New Zealand is now in a declared state of Emergency.
We are doing all we can to ensure that Tairāwhiti health services are ready to respond to COVID-19 should it reach our district, says Hauora Tairāwhiti Chief Executive Jim Green.
As of Thursday morning, 26 March 2020, there are no confirmed COVID-19 cases in Tairāwhiti.
“All the staff leading our response will work out of the Emergency Operations Centre. The team meets daily with representatives from Gisborne District Council Emergency Management. This structure means we have the right people around the table to quickly make important decisions.”
In the last week dedicated swabbing practices have been set up in Gisborne, Te Puia and Te Karaka for people who meet the criteria and are referred from their GP or Healthline. “We expect the number of people getting tested to increase in the coming weeks and so we are working with GPs and Medical Centres on opening a Community Based Assessment Centre shortly, added Mr Green.
“Preparing and planning at Gisborne Hospital is ongoing. Our isolation rooms have been checked, we have put an isolation ward in place and we have a plan to move people suspected to have COVID-19 through the hospital to where they will be cared for.”
The hospital has four negative pressure isolation rooms including in the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit.
“Frontline staff have had on-going training in the correct use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), says Infection Control Nurse Susan Egan. “We got everyone to buddy up and check that they had put the equipment on correctly. This is not something hospital staff do every day and it can be stressful when you are under pressure. That is why it is important to have a buddy. Staff realised how important it was because we had them queuing for the training. We took the opportunity to give staff who were waiting on their flu vaccination.”
The community is counting on us to do the best we can, which also includes keeping ourselves safe and maintaining our capacity to provide the care, says Mr Green. “That is why it is so important for healthcare staff, as well as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, to be immunised against the flu. For the last 7 years we have had the highest proportion of staff vaccinated out of all the health boards in New Zealand. This year we aim to have 95% of our staff vaccinated and over 90% of people over 65 or with health conditions that make the flu life-threatening. The combination of Flu and Covid-19 would be devastating for these people and the health service.
Mr Green said people needed to follow the Ministry of Health’s advice which was; regular handwashing with soap and water, staying away from work and others if you were sick, following basic cough or sneeze etiquette into the elbow, staying away from crowds and if you were unwell to call Healthline 0800 358 5453 or visit www.health.govt.nz/covid-19
Anyone who felt unwell and had been in contact with someone from overseas should call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 for advice.
Anyone with symptoms of a high temperature and cough, sore throat or shortness of breath should not turn up at a general practice, or Gisborne Hospital Emergency Department without phoning ahead first.