Nepean Hospital staff have expressed concern over a lack of Covid training

Amid Nepean Hospital’s growing cluster of Covid infections, including the deaths of two patients, staff fear a lack of training, Covid tests and care is leaving them and their patients at risk.

Medicos at Nepean Hospital claim their Covid training is substandard and they are being pushed to continue working even when training is offered, therefore missing out.

Staff also claim that unlike Liverpool Hospital, they are still not being regularly tested for Covid despite a significant outbreak in the hospital that has now claimed the lives of two patients who acquired the virus on the ward.

As of Friday, there were two new cases of Covid linked to the Nepean Hospital outbreak. Both are staff.

There are now 19 cases linked to Nepean Hospital – 12 patients and seven staff as well as 25 cases linked to the Nepean Mental Health Centre outbreak – 24 consumers and one staff member.

Nepean Hospital is the centre of a growing cluster. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The total number of cases across the two separate exposures is now 44.

Staff specialists have raised concerns with their respective colleges with one writing: “I was trying to attend a donning and doffing session (removing PPE) … I was informed by my line manager to ‘stop wasting time and return to clinic’ and ‘the hospital seems to be filling in training tick sheets to protect its back rather than ensuring we are appropriately trained for this current Covid crisis’.”

One wrote: “I am getting frightened to go to work as my safety seems to be the last priority of the hospital.”

The correspondence follows an incident two weeks ago where two surgical registrars, anaesthetic and recovery staff were all exposed to a positive Covid case in theatre last Tuesday, but did not find out until Saturday and staff had not been isolating.

A doctor who works at Nepean spoke to The Sunday Telegraph on condition of anonymity about the case said: “There’s been a complete lack of recognition of the risk of Covid exposure threat within the hospital,” the doctor said.

“It’s dangerous. Nepean Hospital is at breaking point in regards to trying to control Covid spread throughout the ward and staff. There are four wards shut down now.”

Staff at Nepean Hospital are reportedly fearful of catching Covid. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Despite a mandate that all health workers get vaccinated, staff are still not routinely screened for Covid.

“No, they are not and we cannot get swabbed in the hospital,” the doctor said.

“There’s still no clarification of staff getting screened, particularly if they work in high risk hospitals, it is a positive they are mandating vaccination for all staff because there are still some staff not vaccinated who work in high risk areas.

“There’s an issue around how do you surveil and do surveillance swabbing of all patients and staff and there is still a decrease in access to the rapid testing PCR test, Nepean only has access to eight a day you can do and you need ID to use.”

Other correspondence from Nepean Hospital to staff notes “the ministry or health expects exponential growth in Covid cases” … with numbers of cases “doubling every 13 days”.

Staff have been advised to avoid unnecessary movement around the hospital.

Staff from Royal Melbourne Hospital extended their expertise in an online meeting with NSW anaesthetic staff on Thursday to pass on their knowledge from Victoria’s second wave last year.

Originally published as Nepean Hospital staff have expressed concern over a lack of Covid training