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COVID-19 Safety Plan
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General practice and other primary health service providers
Business name Premier Medicine
Business location (town, suburb or postcode)
Suite 302/3 Waverley Street Bondi Junction NSW 2022
Completed by Dr Billie Whiteson Effective date 2 August 2021
Date completed 9 October 2021
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CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
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ALL patients under the age of 12 are required to wear a mask.
ALL patients under 12 over aged 7 are requested to wear a mask.
ALL patients will have their temperatures checked on entry to the premises. ALL patients have to sign in using the NSW check in QR code.
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Wellbeing of staff
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1. ALL our staff are fully vaccinated for COVID 19. It is a condition of on going employment/engagement at this workplace that the whole practice team have requested and agreed to.
2. We exclude staff who are unwell from the premises. We communicate regularly with staff to remind everyone that they should not attend work if unwell with respiratory symptoms or fever. We encourage testing of all staff with symptoms in line with advice from NSW Health.
3. No staff member can work if unwell
4. All staff members are tested for COVID in line with NSW Health advice
5. We make staff aware of their leave entitlements if they are sick or required to self-isolate. NB All employees are employed on a part time casual basis. Their contracts cover their sick leave
entitlements.
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Wellbeing of patients -management plan
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1. EVERYONE is required to wear a mask on our premises.
2. ALL presenting with relevant symptoms undergo a COVID-19 test to help with the early detection of cases.
3. We ask that ALL patients call ahead if they have symptoms of COVID-19 upper respiratory tract infection, fever loss of sense of taste, cough, flu like aches and pains.
4. ALL patients are requested to call ahead if they are unwell with COVID type symptoms
5. We separate possible COVID -19 patients and their carers/family members from other patients and
6. If well enough to do so ? COVID patients + their support person are asked to wait outside the building in their vehicle until the doctor is ready to see them.
7. When entering the building they MUST wear a mask and use the lift only with their support person.
8. On arrival they are isolated in our COVID isolation room (with any support person). The doctor is informed immediately and dons full PPE and assesses the patient.
9. Should the patient be considered to be 1. well enough to return home The patient (and possibly their support person) is /are tested for COVID. The test is sent off urgently.
10. When they are ready to leave a lift is called for them
11.The patient and the support person leave the isolation room together in the same lift. No one is permitted to be in the lift with them.
12. Should they be not well enough to return home. They are treated according to their clinical needs.
13. An ambulance is called and the local hospital informed of the pending transfer.
14. A letter of handover is given to the patient/or support person indicating the treatment to the time they leave our premises.
15. The isolation room is then cleaned according to our deep clean protocol.
Physical distancing
1. All waiting room/vaccination room/ consulting room seating is arranged with chairs at 1.5m distances.
2. The waiting room floor is marked with 'X' indicating 1.5m distanced areas. ALL persons entering the practice are required to distance by 1.5m unless they are from the same household group.
3. Where reasonably practical, we ensure staff and patients maintain 1.5 metres physical distancing from each other 4. When possible we assign staff to specific workstations. NB should our staff are not able to physically distance, or work in a role with significant patient interaction, they wear masks and on occcasion full PPE and face shields .
5. ALL doctors and medical students, nurses and anyone with a clinical role MUST wear an appropriate mask for all cl See NSW Health guidance re mask wearing by general practice staff.
6. ALL staff wear surgical masks at all times when on the Premier Medicine premises. We avoid sharing workspaces at Premier Medicine in order to ensure their safety in the workplace as much as we can. We stagger start times and breaks for staff members and encourage breaks to be taken outside. We have one member of staff on our front desk all day on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. There is second staff member predominantly doing data entry on those days who is in a separate room. During the receptionist's break that person covers the front desk. On Tuesday and Wednesday the receptionist works a morning or afternoon shift only. On Saturday morning there is only one administrative staff member present.
However all healthcare workers are at risk by necessity of not being able to distance themselves from patients when examining/treating them.
7 To minimise congestion in the waiting room, we on occasion ask patients to wait outside the building or in the lobby/corridor; we staggering bookings although we accept a limited number of walk-in patients.
Furniture has been moved and all seats are distanced by 1.5m.
Our bookings are every 20 minutes.
8. We have a flow through arrangement for the larger volume vaccine patients so that there shouldn't be congestion and safety is ensured.
9. Plexiglass is installed around the reception counter.
10. We have offer televideo health consultations. These are conducted on Whats App as the service is fully encrytped at both ends.
This can be booked on line through our website or via the booking agency HealthEngine or by calling the practice.
11. Our staff meetings are held in person NB we have a small team of a maximum of 4 people attending and we maintaine social distancing.
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Payment
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We encourage contactless payment options.
Any possible COVID patient is NOT permitted to approach the reception desk. All billing, invoicing and claiming is carried out on line and or over the phone.
All televideo health consultations are billed over the phone they are invoiced and claimed on line.
All other patients use contactless payment systems in the surgery through their smart phone app or credit card.
We do not accept cash payments. We accept all major credit cards.
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Deliveries
1.Deliveries from suppliers are brought in via courier.
2. Vaccine deliveries and product deliveries are a contact less as possible. As with all visitors they MUST check in via the QR code and have their temperature checked on entry.
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Hygiene and cleaning
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1.Hand sanitser is in place at the entry to the practice and at all work stations and in all consultation rooms. Everyone is encouraged to use it on entry and as required afterwards.
2. Each examination /consulting room, the vaccination room and the isolation /treatment room have hand washing facilities.
3. Staff are encouraged to wear disposable gloves when working.
4. Masks are changed after 4 hours of use or when considered to be soiled eg a 2. possible infected patients has been seen.
5. Al clinicians wash their hands and/or use hand sanister gel between patients. Disposable Gloves are worn for most procedures that involve direct contact with a patient
Bathrooms
1. Bathrooms are well stocked with hand soap and paper towels or hand dryers. NB The bathroom is owned and run by the building but has hand soap and hand dryers.
Staff - Clinical and Non Clinical
1. We have one member of staff on our front desk all day on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. There is second staff member predominantly doing data entry on those days who is in a separate room. During the receptionist's break that person covers the front desk. On Tuesday and Wednesday the receptionist works a morning or afternoon shift only. On Saturday morning there is only one administrative staff member present. desk reception desk next to all sinks and on all work desks/spaces.
2. Ensure staff complete relevant PPE and infection prevention and control training. There are resources available from the Department of Health, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, and the RACGP.
3. Full PPE is available for use for doctors who have necessary contact with patients who might be infected with COVID.
Surgical Masks and face shields, goggles, aprons and disposable gloves are provided for use of all staff members.
4. Infection control review has been provided by our PHN Central and Eastern Sydney and Professor Marg Jennings from Infection Control educator
5. In indoor areas, we increase natural ventilation by opening windows and doors where possible, and increase mechanical ventilation where possible by optimising air conditioning or other system settings (such as by maximising the intake of outside air and reducing or avoiding recirculation of air). The building committee is looking at otherwise means of better protecting the building occupants and visitors for examples using regular antiviral sprays delivered via air conditioning system.
The vaccination room opens onto a balcony and when in use the doors remain open to allow free flow of air.
All other areas have air conditioning which is linked to the outside of the building
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Cleaning
1. We frequently clean used indoor hard surface areas at least daily with detergent and disinfectant. And clean frequently touched areas and surfaces several times per day.
2. All indoor hard surfaces and equipment are cleaned with viraclean on an least a daily basis . Should the need arise in high use areas they are cleaned more frequently - eg treatment room surfaces are cleaned after use
3. Surgical instruments are cleaned with Clinidet then sterilised as per guidelines
4. We maintain disinfectant solutions at an appropriate strength and use in accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions.
5. Disinfection solutions are prepared/ diluted and used according to manufacturers instructions.
6. ALL Staff/Contractors/ Clinicians should wash hands with soap and water before and after contact with patients clinicla procedures or contacting surfaces generally used by others eg in common areas.
7. Staff clean areas wearing disposable gloves, once removed they wash their hands with soap and water and apply hand sanitiser.
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Record keeping
1. Anyone entering our premise must use the QR code provided at the entrance and the reception desk.
2. We keep a written record of the name, contact number and entry time for all staff, patients (including all people who accompany a patient to an appointment) and contractors for a period of at least 28 days.
3. When writing medical records we denote the consultation as being telehealth if this is the situation, otherwise all consultations are in person.
4. Note: A person entering any health or medical facility, other than a pharmacy, as a patient, is not required to provide contact details under the Public Health (COVID-19 Gathering Restrictions) Order (No 2) 2021.
However we ask all people entering the premises has to register a via the QR code check in A manual list is also kept of those unable to use this facility the details required are name phone number date and time of entry to the practice.
5. We ensure by checking phones for the green tick to confirm that people have checked in. We keep them 1.5m physical distance between staff and patrons .
6. We have three copies of the QR code for people to use
one to the left of the entrance
one on the entry desk
one at the reception desk
7. If a person is unable to provide contact details, for example due to age or language barriers, another person may provide contact details on their behalf.
8. If it is not possible for check-in to occur, we keep a record of the name, contact number and entry time for that person the information is held for a period of at least 28 days. These records are available to be provided in an electronic format as a spreadsheet, but within 4 hours, upon request from an authorised officer.
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Other
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Premier Medicine as a General practice is a registered business through nsw.gov.au
Our business is registered through nsw.gov.au
We Cooperate with NSW Health when contacted in relation to a positive case of COVID-19 at Premier Medicine.
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