Covirus 19 coronavirus: ‘No distancing’ at Waitakere Hospital where infected nurses says visitor

A visitor to a hospital ward where Covid-19 patients were cared for by nurses who infected themselves said the lack of physical distance between staff was surprising.

Waitakere Hospital nurses and doctors stood near him when they spoke, the man said, and staff sat close to each other in meeting rooms, workstations and during lunch.

“I realized that no one maintained physical distance.”

The three infected nurses worked with patients transferred to Waitakere Hospital after a Covid-19 outbreak at the St Margaret nursing home in Te Atatu.

The nurses also worked in shifts in other Covid free rooms, something that the Auckland and Northland DHB clinical leaders agreed was appropriate, as long as infection control safeguards were observed, including the “meticulous” use of equipment. personal protection (PPE) and physical distance within the workplace. .

Waitematā DHB has now changed its policy so that nurses caring for patients with Covid-19 do not work in other wards as well, something he says came after staff comments and goes “beyond what is advised.”

The source of the nurses’ infection is being investigated, and 36 staff members are being held in isolation as a precaution. Staff tests have yielded no more positive results.

A Waitematā DHB spokesperson said staff were expected to observe the same rules for physical detachment as the general public when not using PPE.

“The correct and appropriate use of PPE at any other time is designed to mitigate the risk of transmission and at the same time allow our staff to serve the health care needs of our patients.”

Nursing health and safety representatives raised concerns with management about staff moving between Covid and non-Covid wards after the transfer of St Margaret residents on April 17.

The first nurse tested positive the weekend of April 25-26, one was included in Covid’s national count of new cases last Thursday and one the next day. A family member of one of the nurses is a probable case.

New Zealand Nurses Organization Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said hospital staff should keep as much distance from each other as possible, but that there would be many situations where that would not be possible, such as when working in the emergency room. .

Delegates from the nurses’ organization were now in daily meetings with the hospital administration, and the focus was on how large the “bubbles” should be in the workplace.

DHBs are preparing to eliminate a huge backlog of elective surgeries and procedures that were postponed during level 4, but the threat from Covid-19 means the usual list can’t always be used.

“When there is a shortage of staff, when the staff get sick, the staff moves to different places,” said Nuku.

“That was common before Covid, but because we’re dealing with Covid-positive patients in one wing, we can’t do that kind of practice anymore.”

E tū has expressed concern about an official FAQ for DHB employees stating that no action is needed for those in close contact with someone who has recently been asked to self-isolate due to possible exposure to Covid-19 , unless symptoms develop.

When asked today if the Waitakere Hospital situation was a wake-up call for DHBs, Dr. Ashley Bloomfield, Director General of Health, said it was a “learning experience.” A DHB review with input from Waikato DHB’s director of nursing was due on Friday, he said.

“I think all DHBs are interested, what did we learn? How do we strengthen our protocols and make sure that we are reducing the risk for our front-line health workers? And this will provide us with information for that.”

Waitematā DHB says that the staff used full PPE when treating residents of the nursing home. On April 17, ambulances transferred the first residents of St Margaret to Waitakere Hospital, and the DHB said this “will ensure that residents receive the support they need while St Margaret staff is authorized to return to work.”

Three of those residents later died. Three other residents with Covid-19 have been transferred from Waitakere to the North Shore Hospital, which is also managed by Waitematā DHB.

As of this afternoon, there were 43 cases linked to St Margaret’s group, with 18 recovered.

Five cases were added to the group in the last 24 hours, which were existing cases now linked to the cluster, and not new cases or patients at Waitakere Hospital. The origin of the outbreak still appears as “unknown”.