Message from the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer

Dear Nurses and Midwives

We have seen significant change in the status of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia since I last wrote to you. The large outbreak in Victoria and low-level community transmission in New South Wales has seen strict restrictions and significant border closures. Throughout all of this our nursing and midwifery professions continue to provide exceptional care to our communities. We have seen nurses and other professionals come from interstate to assist in the response in Victoria and many more across the country have expressed interest in helping out. These outbreaks continue to impact all health professionals and provide challenging circumstances for us in our work. I am eternally grateful for the efforts of nurses, midwives, aged care staff, all other health professions, and support staff turning up every day to support and protect our community.

I recently returned to Canberra after spending many weeks supporting our colleagues in health and aged care in Victoria during this outbreak. I am now in quarantine at home and experiencing the challenges of this, as so many of you have done recently.

The photo below is a Victorian nurse braving the cold and snow to conduct COVID-19 screening. Our work is testing our physical and mental limits daily in the fight against this virus and I encourage you to take the time to look after your physical and mental wellbeing. There is information in this newsletter about available supports for your mental health.

Throughout the pandemic, I have been regularly meeting with the Nursing and Midwifery Strategic Reference Group (NMSRG) to share information and knowledge with the professions. The NMSRG has a wide membership across the nursing and midwifery professions and our meetings allow me to provide updates from the Australian Health Protection Principle Committee and Infection Control Expert Group, both of which I am a member.

There has been much discussion in the media about access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). I can unequivocally state, there is ample PPE available in the country and deliveries are scheduled for the remainder of the year to ensure adequate supply. Millions of masks and other PPE items have been supplied from the National Medical Stockpile to aged care facilities, disability service providers and Primary Health Networks for distribution. If you haven’t already, please take the time to refresh yourself on infection prevention and control protocols relevant to your area of work. There is also a training package available on the Department of Health website.

As nurses and midwives we must stay vigilant and act safely in all aspects of our lives. Even when socialising with friends and family we can model safe behaviours to help slow the spread of COVID-19 - practice good hygiene and physical distancing and follow the rules for public gatherings, quarantine and isolation.

Alison

COVID-19 Update

The recent rise in community transmission of COVID-19 in Australia means some states and territories now recommend or require the use of masks.

For people at increased risk of severe COVID-19 themselves because of older age or chronic illness, physical distancing is most important. If you cannot maintain physical distance, wearing a mask is an important protective measure.

The main value of wearing a mask is to protect other people. If the person wearing the mask is unknowingly infected, wearing a mask will reduce the chance of them passing the virus on to others.

For people who wear a mask it is important that it is worn properly. Key tips for yourself and in instructing others are:

wash or sanitise your hands before putting it on or taking it off
make sure the mask covers your nose and mouth and fits snugly under your chin, over the bridge of your nose and against the sides of your face
do not touch the front of your mask while wearing or removing it
do not allow the mask to hang around your neck or under your nose
do not reuse single use masks; wash and dry reusable masks after use and store in a clean dry place.

If you would like to know more the Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19 is available here.

Mental Health Resources

The Australian Government has a raft of projects and resources available to support you and your colleagues as front line health workers.

There is the factsheet: Coronavirus help when you need it - supporting your mental health online at the Department of Health as well as:

The Black Dog Institute is leading a dedicated program tailored for the wellbeing of front line health workers. The Black Dog e-health hub (TEN – The Essential Network) is available as an App in both the Apple Store and the Google Play Store and online at www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/ten/.
Smiling Mind is providing front line health workers with free access to their premium App which offers practical tools to support good mental health. The Smiling Mind app is available for download in the Apple Store and Google Play store or you can access this through the website at: www.smilingmind.com.au/smiling-mind-app.
CRANAplus (crana.org.au/) provides mental health training to health professionals supporting drought and bush fire affected communities, including online workshops, podcasts and webinars providing mental health guidance from a range of specialists.
Phoenix Australia – the Centre for Post-traumatic Mental Health has a digital training platform to provide support and resources for health professionals who support individuals and communities affected by disasters and traumatic events. These resources are available at: https://www.phoenixaustralia.org/resources/bushfires/
Face to face, digital and telephone mental health services are accessible by all Australians including front line health workers. These include Beyond Blue, headtohealth.gov.au, Lifeline and others.

Celebrating the service of Nurses and Midwives

On 8 June 2020, the Governor-General announced the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List, recognising 933 Australians. Within those honoured the following nurses and midwives were recognised for their service:

Member (AM) in the General Division:

Ms Sarah Louise BROWN
Professor Rhonda Pearl MARRIOTT
Ms Judith Louise MEPPEM PSM
Ms Elizabeth Ruth MOHLE
Distinguished Professor Patricia YATES
Professor Jeanine YOUNG

Medal (OAM) in the General Division:

Mrs Maria Rosaleen Boland
Professor Julia Louise CRILLY
Mrs Karen Lee KEMP
Ms Leanne NEAL
Ms Valerie Catherine SMITH-ORR
Ms Elizabeth Anne ZACHULSKI

In his announcement the Governor-General said “This list recognises a group of outstanding Australians who have made a contribution to their community, to Australia globally or domestically. Their efforts have been noted by their peers, they’ve been nominated and assessed independently as worthy of recognition".

Education program to help improve care with dementia

NPS MedicineWise has been engaged by the Commonwealth Department of Health to deliver an education program to support health professionals working in residential aged care.

The focus is on person-centred care approaches and the role of psychotropic medicines in managing changed behaviours in people with dementia.

As part of this program NPS MedicineWise will be hosting a free CPD-accredited one-hour webinar on Wednesday 26th August , 7-8pm AEST.

The webinar will feature a panel of experts in the field of aged care who will use real-life case scenarios when discussing the challenges of optimising transitions of care in people living with dementia. Use this link to Register for the webinar

DonateforLife

With the potential impacts on hospitals, in particular Intensive Care Units and Emergency Departments, the Organ and Tissue Authority and DonateLife agencies are closely monitoring COVID-19 and its impact on organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

Donation and transplantation clinicians are also collaborating nationally and internationally to consider the risk and benefits of transplantation in the COVID-19 pandemic environment.

Life-saving heart, lung and liver transplants continued during the pandemic lock-downs and with kidney transplantation recommencing in early May all programs are now active.

However, there are still around 1,700 Australians currently on the wait list for a life-saving transplant, and a further 12,000 people on dialysis.

To join the Australian Organ Donor Register, or for more information about our national program visit donatelife.gov.au

If you are already registered, you can do more. Talk to your family and friends. Tell them you want to be a donor. Encourage them to register too.

National Pancreatic Cancer Roadmap

Cancer Australia is developing a National Pancreatic Cancer Roadmap to improve outcomes and survival for people with pancreatic cancer in Australia. The Roadmap will identify key priority areas for action over the next five years across the continuum of pancreatic cancer care and pancreatic cancer research. Cancer Australia will be seeking broad public consultation and collaborate with key stakeholders, including consumers, and build on the efforts and expertise of the non-government sector in the development of the Roadmap.

For further information on this initiative, including how you can be involved, visit National Pancreatic Cancer Roadmap

Open consultations

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA)

The NMBA is currently consulting on its:

proposed revised Nurse practitioner standards for practice and
proposed revised Registration standard: Recency of practice.

The consultation papers and avenues to provide feedback can be found at: NMBA Current Consultations

Hurry as submissions close on Monday 31 August 2020.

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