Tasmanian nurses pitch in for Victorian coronavirus battle

Tasmanian nurses are lining up to head to Melbourne to help tackle Victoria’s deadly coronavirus outbreaks, but the nurses’ union has raised concerns the move may leave local health services short-staffed.

• Mobile phone woes strike new RHH building
• RHH employees potentially exposed to COVID-19

TASMANIA’S Health Minister says the safety of this state’s health system will be her priority as local nurses prepare to travel to Victoria to help in the fight against coronavirus.

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) said about 15 Tasmanian nurses so far had put in expressions of interest to travel to Melbourne, predominantly to help that city’s beleaguered aged-care sector.

EDITORIAL: SKIPPING A SHIFT A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

Medical workers evacuate a resident from a Melbourne aged care facility last month as the city battles fresh outbreaks of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Picture: WILLIAM WEST/AFP

ANMF Tasmanian secretary Emily Shepherd said the union had been assured by Tasmanian health authorities that any deployment of local nurses would not leave local health services short-staffed.

“We know particularly in the South, with the opening of K-Block, there are increased demands on staffing requirements and we have been assured that there will be an assessment undertaken of those nurses who put their names forward to ensure that doesn’t leave any clinical area in Tasmania short-staffed,” Ms Shepherd said.

ANMF Tasmanian secretary Emily Shepherd has sought assurances any deployment of Tasmanian nurses to the mainland would not leave Tasmania understaffed. Picture: PATRICK GEE

If their deployment is approved, some Tasmanian nurses could leave within a fortnight.

They would likely spend two weeks working in clinical care in Victoria, followed by a two-week quarantine period upon their return home.

Health Minister Sarah Courtney said individual risk assessments would be undertaken for each health worker who put their hand up and she was confident Tasmania’s quarantine measures would protect the state upon the nurses’ return.

“We want to make sure that if Tasmanians do get deployed to Victoria, that they are kept safe and well while they are there, but also when we have any workers returning to Tasmania from Victoria we’ve got very strict protocols,” Ms Courtney said.

“We know the devastating impact of COVID within a health system, we saw that in the North-West and the ramifications that had for all our staff as well as the entire community. I don’t want to see that happening again in Tasmania.”

She said the state government would pay for nurses’ quarantine costs on their return.

NORTH-WEST LOCKDOWN: 5000 PEOPLE IN ISOLATION

Health Minster Sarah Courtney. Picture: ZAK SIMMONDS

Labor’s health spokeswoman Sarah Lovell commended the move, but said Ms Courtney must receive assurances from her Victorian counterpart that Tasmanian nurses will be provided with adequate protective equipment and local training.

“The last thing we want is for a gesture of goodwill to be the thing that imports COVID-19 to Tasmania,” Ms Lovell said.

Ms Shepherd said Tasmanian nurses knew it was in the interests of all Australians to help contain the spread of COVID-19 in Victoria.