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Visiting guidelines and COVID-safe

Posted By Covidsafevisitor

"Visiting guidelines and COVID-safe"

About: Wonthaggi Hospital

(as a relative),

I have tried to get guidance on visiting restrictions at Wonthaggi hospital to coordinate visits across our family. We understand restrictions are needed to keep patients safe - but feel they should be transparent and consistent.

We’ve heard 3 different versions of the rules in the past week (over the phone). Your website apparently has no information about visitors and COVIDSafe (I’ve looked under different headings). The Vic government website says hospitals set their own rules. Given we are at COVID normal, I think you should be able to publish your current guidelines at the top of the visitor page under a heading of Covidsafe.

In my opinion, it’s hard enough for patients to recover under these restrictions which means being in hospital is tougher. You also have renovations which mean patients are in wards that may not be as ideal until after the build is complete. I think making it as easy as possible for them to see loved ones and being clear on current restrictions is a reasonable expectation.

I also suggest doing some mystery phone calls to check that the over the phone advice is consistent too, perhaps a script is needed to support staff?

Good communication doesn’t have a cost, it does require some thought and planning. The staff at the hospital have been kind and caring to our loved one. This is feedback about the administration of the hospital.

Thank you.

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Responses

Response from Jan Child, CEO, Bass Coast Health 3 years ago
Jan Child
CEO,
Bass Coast Health

Submitted on 22/03/2021 at 4:19 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 4:28 PM

picture of Jan Child

Dear Covidsafevisitor,

You have provided some really constructive feedback! Thanks so much for taking the time.

I am so sorry that you have had such variable and inconsistent communication from us - that's not helpful. Let me look into all this and come back to you.

Kind Regards, Jan

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Response from Jan Child, CEO, Bass Coast Health 3 years ago
We are preparing to make a change
Jan Child
CEO,
Bass Coast Health

Submitted on 12/04/2021 at 7:43 AM
Published on Care Opinion at 9:28 AM

picture of Jan Child

Dear Covidsafevisitor,

Sorry that it has taken me a little while to get back to you. My review of this communication issue has confirmed your experience and I think there are some strong lessons here about how we can communicate better (although I do have my fingers and toes crossed that we won't need to go back to restrictions too often!). It would be fair to say that we relied heavily on our printed message at each front entrance, and indeed our front entrances had a "script" which I think they managed well.

However, the multiple phone points were harder to manage. Our managers did do regular huddles with staff to update them and we did put out regular emails to our staff but I can't guarantee that in their extraordinarily busy days, they read them. We also relied heavily on Facebook but we know that isn't an effective medium for everyone. We did put some things on our website but it's true to say our website needs an overhaul (which I am pleased to say we have started).

For some areas such as Residential Care, we had regular zooms with our residents and relatives to talk through restrictions (because they were the hardest hit) but it would have been impossible to do that in all ward areas.

Even noting this context, all of this was made even harder when the rules changed so quickly - often it would be the case that the Department would provide advice re changes at the end of the day, and then we needed to review that advice and determine our own rules based on the distancing issues and our environment. Sometimes these changes happened daily.

None of this is an excuse - just our tricky context - and I absolutely accept that we need to find ways to do this better if we have restrictions in the future. Our communications and clinical leadership team have met to work through improvements for the future. I hope you don't need to use them but I genuinely thank you for the prod.

Kind Regards,

Jan.

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