Report 10: 2020-21

COVID-19: Status of WA Public Testing Systems

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Recommendations

1. East Metropolitan Health Service should:

a. ensure systems are in place to appropriately monitor collection of COVID-19 samples from collection teams

Response: As part of the training processes and operational activities, assessment of practice for the collections teams will occur in-situ to ensure training is translated to the context of practice. To support this, EMHS have commenced a train the trainer program for staff (initially to 8-10 existing staff members) that the COVID clinic team identify as having potential to be developed into supervisory / assessor / audit roles. These individuals will also be trained up to become team leaders, ensuring the collections team have a clinical lead who can be supernumerary to provide the supervision and assistance to the rest of the collections team. In addition there will be an appointment of Clinical Nurses (CNs) to provide a lead role in educating, assessing, training, monitoring, and evaluating specimen collection teams, to ensure appropriate practice of infection control and swabbing techniques, registration checks and use of PPE at collection sites. These individuals will be deployed at collection sites to provide general oversight and supervision of the collections team which will be comprised of a clinical team lead and collections staff. The CN role will also develop and maintain key clinical documents, including an audit of collections staff core competencies.

Implementation timeframe: by 1 February 2021

b. monitor the timeliness of test result notifications to patients through its texting system.

Response: EMHS are able to develop a report to monitor the timeliness of test result notifications sent via text. The report can be shared with stakeholders who require the information.

Implementation timeframe: 21 December 2020

2. PathWest should:

a. put steps in place to provide sufficient space to efficiently register samples in the event of a surge

b. review workflows for processing regional samples and where possible reduce transport times.

PathWest response:

a. Four additional registration work stations are currently being set up within Microbiology, PathWest, at Fiona Stanley Hospital.  All resources required are secured.

b. Regional workflows are in place and respond to urgent testing as required. Commercial road and airport transport services are utilised as available to ensure the fastest turnaround times possible.

c. However, regional transportation workflows will be reviewed to ensure that if any room for efficiencies is identified, they can be implemented. In addition, rapid COVID-19 PCR testing has been deployed to all the major regional centres to facilitate rapid turnaround times for urgent results. For significant regional outbreaks, a larger scale deployable PCR testing solution has been trialled with success, which would minimise the need to send large numbers of specimens to Perth.

Implementation timeframe: Complete, or subject to ongoing review

Page last updated: December 9, 2020

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