Message from Dr Joe Bourne, EOC Incident Controller Posted in COVID-19 - Community clinicians in BOP Facebook group on 30 October.
Review your pandemic plans: We had a great workshop in Te Puke yesterday with healthcare workers from across the BOP. It was great to see how we are maintaining the really valuable trusting relationships that have been built up over the COVID response. We probably know more now than we ever wanted to about how to work during a pandemic. As we have once again bought ourselves a little breathing space, all providers are being encouraged to review their pandemic plans. Whilst the exact context is not known in advance we now have a good idea of the types of scenario that may occur alongside lived experience of what actions we can take. It is recognised that we are all ploughing on with heaps of other work but it really is worth taking some time to check your plans are fit for purpose. For example: •
Who will look after your enrolled patients should your practice have to close?
•
Do you have enough PPE to last 1-2 weeks if the alert levels increase again?
•
How will you increase your capacity if we need to do more swabbing?
If a community case comes next week, and if that case is in BOP we will be expected to move quickly to contain the infection and minimise the risk of widespread transmission. We will also have a key role in providing reassurance to our community. If you need any support to review your plans do get in touch with the DHB via EOC@bopdhb.govt.nz