Late yesterday, Thursday 7 May 2020, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Tasmanian Branch (ANMF) were made aware of several concerns that members have regarding the re-opening of the Spencer Clinic today.

These concerns are:

• Safety of the nurse’s station in the newly designated red and orange zones, possible lack of swipe card access and safety glass to secure this space.
• Processes and procedures around donning and doffing personal protective equipment (PPE). It was acknowledged that practical training has been offered and completed, but apprehension remains about putting this into practice. Specifically, the space and access point/s where this will occur, partitions for privacy and timing for this at the beginning and ending of shifts.
• No attendant will be rostered overnight across all three zones.
• Limited detail on the protocol regarding code blacks under then new ward configuration.

The ANMF will, over the course of today, contact management to better understand the plan for Spencer Clinic and seek clarity on the above matters. We will provide further updates as they come to hand.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact our Member Support Team via membersupport@anmftas.org.au or for urgent matters phone 1800 001 241. Please note that due to the current COVID-19 situation, our Member Support Team are now practicing social isolation measures and working from home. Bearing this in mind, email is the preferred and fastest way of contacting them.

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