Liberal Party of WA health spokesperson Libby Mettam has blasted the state government over “gaping holes” in the state’s infection control system.
Liberal Party of WA health spokesperson Libby Mettam has blasted the state government over what she called gaping holes in the state’s infection control system, after four hospital staff were forced to quarantine over two potential breaches.
This afternoon, a staff member from Royal Perth Hospital was reportedly placed in quarantine after removing their mask prematurely during an interaction with a COVID-positive patient.
The incident came less than 48 hours after three staff members from Royal Perth Hospital were placed in quarantine for unknowingly using a lift that had been used to transport a COVID-positive patient 15 minutes earlier.
It is understood the staff were not wearing personal protective equipment when they entered the lift, which took the patient from the emergency department to the hospital’s intensive care unit on Saturday morning.
The patient, a man in his 60s, was the captain of the Aquagenie vessel in Commonwealth waters off Karratha; the second crew member to be transferred from the vessel to Perth after testing positive for the virus.
The hospital is understood to be reviewing its processes in the wake of the incidents.
But Ms Mettam said the incidents raised serious questions about the state government’s ability to manage infected patients, despite now being more than 12 months into the pandemic.
“The fact that we had three people potentially exposed as a result of one patient highlights that there are still gaping holes in the PPE policy and the management of infected patients,” she said.
“The McGowan government has had more than a year to prepare and such basic measures and procedures should well and truly be in place.
“We are far from battled hardened for COVID-19 as our health minister would like people to think, if this is how just one case is managed.
“It is certainly a positive that the staff members involved had received their COVID vaccination, but it again raises the question of what is the progress of mandating frontline hotel quarantine workers for COVID-19 vaccinations, which has been talked about for several weeks?
“The McGowan government often warns the public not to become complacent yet it’s clearly not taking its own advice when it comes to preparedness in the health system.”
Ms Mettam said the incident also cast doubt over whether the state's health system had learned from the PPE breach in January and how many of the recommendations from the subsequent review had been implemented.
More to come.
