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Parliamentary Questions


Question On Notice No. 231 asked in the Legislative Council on 10 August 2021 by Hon Martin Aldridge

Question Directed to the: Minister for Mental Health representing the Minister for Health
Parliament: 41 Session: 1
Tabled Paper No: 782- View tabled paper


Question

(1) I refer to questions without notice 388 and 398, relating to Geraldton Regional Hospital COVID-19 protocol breaches and the provision of portable isolation rooms, and I ask, how many portable isolation rooms have been purchased by the State Government?
?
(2) Which hospitals currently have access to a portable isolation room?
(3) How many staff at each location with a portable isolation room are trained to setup and operate the equipment?
(4) What is the total cost expended to date on purchasing the portable isolation rooms?
(5) How long does it take to deploy a portable isolation room within a hospital?
(6) Have any of the portable isolation rooms been deployed to date and, if so, please provide dates of use and purpose?
(7) Why was the portable isolation room based at Geraldton Regional Hospital not deployed when the Department of Health became aware that a sick crew member was to be transferred from the MV Emerald Indah?
(8) When did the Department of Health first become aware that the MV Emerald Indah had reported a sick crew member aboard?
(9) When did the Department of Health first become aware that the sick crew member would be transferred to Geraldton Regional Hospital?
(10) At what date and time did the sick crew member arrive at Geraldton Regional Hospital?
(11) At what date and time was a decision taken to transfer the sick crew member to Perth?
(12) At what date and time was the sick crew member transferred from the Geraldton Regional Hospital?
(13) In relation to the review of COVID-19 protocols at the Geraldton Regional Hospital as announced by Dr Helen Van Gessell on 12 July 2021, please table the review in full?
(14) Please table all briefing material, correspondence, meeting notes, text messages or similar received by the Minister for Health, or his office, from the Department of Health or any other Government agency with respect to this matter.?
(15) I refer to question without notice 439 and a reference to an 'overarching hospital guidance document' relating to COVID-19 protocols, please table that document?
(16) Please table the protocol specific for Geraldton Regional Hospital relating to COVID-19 controls?

Answered on 13 October 2021

(1) The State Health Incident Coordination Centre (SHICC) centrally procured a total quantity of 10 SafeSpear portable anterooms on behalf of the WA health system. The SafeSpear products are not portable isolation rooms but portable anterooms that require attachment to an existing room doorway. When used in a room with appropriate HEPA filtration, ventilation and pressure control, the SafeSpear effectively converts a room to an isolation room. 

 

(2) The 10 portable anterooms centrally procured by SHICC are located at the following sites: Geraldton Hospital, Carnarvon Hospital, Katanning Hospital, Esperance Hospital and Broome Hospital. The remaining 5 are centrally stored in the Department of Health Disaster Preparedness and Management Unit warehouse accessible to any WA hospital, primarily metropolitan sites.

 

(3) Approximately 10-15 staff members from maintenance and infrastructure teams across the five sites (3 per site) where the SafeSpear has been deployed.  These teams have followed the SafeSpear instructional video and manual on the setup.  They also have access to SafeSpear technician who can arrange onsite training for a nominated fee if necessary.

 

(4) The total cost of the 10 centrally procured portable anterooms incurred by SHICC is $109,831.32 exclusive of GST.

 

(5) The setup of the portable anteroom must be onto an existing single room doorway and is therefore dependant on multiple variables including but not limited to, staff proficiency and availability, room availability, patient flow, cleaning requirements etc.  Feedback received on the set-up time alone has been demonstrated to be up to 2 hours. It should be noted that other variables identified may impact this timeframe significantly.

 

(6) In August 2021 Esperance utilised the portable anteroom, attached to a single room in the general ward area to create a negative pressure room environment for a suspect COVID-19 mariner, who required admission as an inpatient for several days whilst undergoing investigations.

 

(7) Geraldton Hospital did not have a portable isolation room however was provided with a portable anteroom which could not be configured due to design constraints in the emergency department.

 

(8) First notified at 11:45 Sunday, 4 July 2021.

 

(9) WACHS first became aware of a potential transfer at 13:02, 4 July 2021, however, final confirmation the patient was being transferred to Geraldton Hospital did not occur until 19:00.

 

(10) 4 July 2021 at 21:45

 

(11) 5 July 2021 at 01.34

 

(12) 5 July 2021 at 12:25

 

(13) See tabled paper no.

 

(14) See tabled paper no.

 

(15) See tabled paper no. This is a working document that continues to be updated.

 

(16) See tabled paper no.