Coronavirus: ‘SAS of the medical world’ joins virus battle

Daniel Andrews says the level of care in his state is unacceptable, as 769 coronavirus cases are linked to nursing homes in the state.

A resident of Melbourne’s Epping Gardens aged-care facility. Picture: Getty Images

The “SAS of the medical world” is on its way to Victoria and nurses are being redeployed from interstate, the Australian Defence Force and from Victorian private hospitals into COVID-ravaged nursing homes as the federal and state governments urgently ramp up their response to the escalating outbreak.

With COVID numbers and fatalities in nursing homes spiralling and residents and their families increasingly fearful of further spread within infected homes or into other facilities, governments and agencies held a series of emergency meetings late into Monday night to coordinate a range of new measures.

Health minister Greg Hunt on Tuesday said an Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT), which includes doctors, nurses, paramedics and allied health experts, would be swung into action in Victorian nursing homes in coming days, as one of a raft of new federal initiatives.

“We will be bringing in an AUSMAT team …. to Victoria,” Mr Hunt said. “They are the best of the best, they are the SAS of the medical world.”

Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has cancelled all non-urgent elective surgery across the state to make more nursing resources available for aged care settings and free up hospital beds in private hospitals in anticipation of more transfers from nursing homes.

“Ultimately the sickest people must get treated quickest,” he said.

Mr Hunt also announced that the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre, which would be Commonwealth-led but run in partnership with the state government, was now up and running under the direction of former Country Fire Authority chief officer Joe Buffone.

He said Mr Buffone’s focus would be to ensure there were enough carers to look after nursing home residents and that all those who needed hospital care were admitted.

“We had a very concerning report (Monday) from Bupa, a major provider, that they had extreme difficulty getting patients into public hospital,” Mr Hunt said.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture: David Crosling

“That’s not acceptable. Where there are patients that need that support they must be given it. There can be no excuses.”

Mr Hunt ordered the immediate allocation of an additional five million masks from the national stockpile, and 500,000 reusable face shields, to the response.

“Furthermore, we have put out a call for interstate nursing staff (and) South Australia in particular has taken the lead on that,” he said.

Mr Andrews said governments and agencies had been in deep discussions late on Monday over how to rein in the aged care outbreak.

“It was a very long night, but this is a critical challenge. The commonwealth have asked for assistance. They‘ve asked for certain things and that’s exactly what they will get.”

He said he had no option but to cancel most non-elective surgery.

“That will free up beds and it will free up staff. Staff is the biggest issue,” Mr Andrews said.

“It’s about having staff who are able to provide care and support to the most vulnerable residents in and coming out of private sector aged care.”

Mr Andrews said Eastern Health and Melbourne‘s Eye and Ear Hospital were already closing beds and moving staff, primarily registered nurses, into aged care settings with coronavirus outbreaks “to essentially take over the clinical care of residents in those settings.”

Scott Morrison, who cancelled a tour of regional Queensland to return to Canberra to deal with the escalating aged care crisis, said the government had used ADF nurses to support a nursing home short on clinical care.

“Last night (Monday) in particular we had ADF officers, nurses, being put into a night shift in a Melbourne facility, and we were able to arrange that quite late in the evening,” the Prime Minister said.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt. Picture: AAP

More than 170 residents have already been transferred out of infected aged care homes, with Mr Andrews anticipating more will be moved into acute settings.

Provider group Aged and Community Services Australia said any hospitals were the place to treat aged care residents with COVID-19.

“Aged care homes aren‘t designed or funded to be able to provide hospital-level containment and treatment of this virus, they need the support of the public health system,” ACSA CEO Patricia Sparrow said.

“In order to prevent mass outbreaks we need hospitalisation to happen as soon as someone tests positive. This is the only way to guarantee the best possible disease control and treatment.”