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Lack of covid isolation

Posted By delphinusgh38

"Lack of covid isolation"

About: Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital / Acute General Medicine

(as the patient),

My family member is a patient on ward G74 where there is a current covid outbreak. While most patients seem compliant, nursing staff told us that patients can’t be forced to stay in their rooms or wear masks, and as such, some patients are wandering around while covid positive, at times without a mask. While we understand that there are other factors impacting this, surely there are more appropriate locations in the hospital for patients with covid who can’t comply, rather than their behaviours impacting the health of staff, patients and visitors. I believe it’s not good enough. 

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Responses

Response from Renee De Prazer, A/Executive Director, North Metropolitan Health Service last week
Renee De Prazer
A/Executive Director,
North Metropolitan Health Service

Submitted on 3/06/2026 at 11:35 AM
Published on Care Opinion Australia at 1:10 PM

Dear delphinusgh38,

Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns about your family member’s experience on G74 at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.

I am sorry to hear about the distress this situation has caused you and your family. I understand how concerning it would be during an active COVID outbreak to see patients moving around the ward without masks and I recognise the worry this creates about potential risks to others.

The safety of our patients, visitors and staff is very important to us. Caring for patients during a COVID outbreak can be complex, particularly when, for variable reasons, there may be difficulty for some individuals to comply with isolation or mask requirements because of their clinical needs or other factors. In these circumstances every effort is made to ensure that patients are being cared for in the right location and under the support of the right clinical team.

The wards work closely with the Infection, Prevention and Management Unit, Bed Management, and the clinical teams to assess risks and put additional measures in place to maintain and support infection control. Clinical teams communicate regularly with staff, patients, and visitors to support engagement and compliance with the recommendations for isolation and use of masks. Where individual patients needs make compliance difficult, staff regularly review the risk to the environment and implement strategies to maintain and support infection control.

Please be reassured that we take your feedback very seriously. Your concerns have been shared with the team so the current arrangements on the ward, including infection prevention and patient management processes, can be reviewed carefully. We remain committed to providing safe and appropriate care and to considering any opportunities for improvement.

Kind regards,

Renee de Prazer

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