Central Coast Local Health District (CCLHD) has given assurances it has sufficient Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in its public hospitals and healthcare facilities, following concerns raised by the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA) that PPE levels were inadequate in the face of the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
The NSWNMA joined other health organisations in calling for improved protocols and better Work Health and Safety standards for all health workers responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
NSWNMA General Secretary, Brett Holmes, said despite a NSW Health issued amber alert last month for public health workers to wear masks within 1.5 metres of all patients, access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to enhance workplace safety was an ongoing concern.
“At a minimum, nurses and other health workers in settings with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients should be protected with P2/N95 masks and fit tested to ensure they properly seal to their face,” Holmes said.
“A recent survey of 1,270 nurses and midwives in NSW has found almost half (44.8%) of those required to wear P2/N95 masks have not been fit tested to limit their exposure from the wrong size mask.
“Alarmingly for public hospital nurses, only one-in-four working in a COVID-19 ward and one-in-three working in an intensive care unit said they had undergone a fit test.”
But a spokesperson said CCLHD continues to maintain a detailed inventory and audit of stock with a focus on ensuring all areas have access to the appropriate PPE for direct contact with a patient suspected of or confirmed as having COVID-19.
“Should the District require additional PPE stock, NSW Health has an escalation process in place to support all Local Health Districts to access further quantities to ensure adequate supply can be maintained for ongoing requirements,” the spokesperson said.
“As at August 9, state-wide stock on hand at NSW Health’s Whole-of-Government Warehouse included: 95 million surgical masks; 41.5 million P2/N95 masks; 45 million gloves; 24.8 million gowns; and 50.5 million face shields.
“The health, well-being and safety of staff is of the utmost importance to CCLHD.
“No member of staff is required or expected to undertake any work requiring PPE unless the appropriate PPE is available.
“Training is provided to staff required to wear PPE [and] includes education on the correct application and removal of PPE and highlights the need for all staff to fit check any mask they are wearing each time they are about to start caring for a patient.
“Fit testing is a more formal and separate process which provides more information about the fit of the mask, it does not replace the need for fit checking immediately before seeing a patient and each time a mask is used.”
Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Cost, Adam Crouch, said the NSW Government has spent over $1B to procure a robust supply of personal protective equipment, particularly gloves, gowns and face shields, for the state’s health staff.
“There are 140,000 health staff in NSW and keeping every single one of them safe remains of the utmost importance,” Crouch said.
“Thanks to the Premier’s ‘call to arms’, which involved asking local businesses to re-skill and re-tool, the NSW Government has been able to establish new supply chains for personal protective equipment.”
Terry Collins