The Tasmanian Health Service has rolled out its COVID-19 Health Care Plan for the state, which includes Launceston's first community case management facility.
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As part of the state government's plan to manage COVID-19 once borders reopen on December 15, the THS has implemented a multi-layered approach for managing COVID patients in the North.
The tiered approach will include at-home care for Tasmanians with mild to moderate symptoms who can isolate, and a community case management facility for those with moderate symptoms unable to isolate or in a high-risk category.
The majority of patients are expected to be placed in the at-home category which provides 24-hour virtual support, including health screenings, video calls with clinicians and monitoring devices if required.
Patients presenting with severe or critical symptoms will be prioritised at the Launceston General Hospital, with 55 COVID specific beds.
Patients who report a moderate illness, but lack an adequate place to isolate or recover, and fall outside of support services can be placed in the case management facility, located at the Coach House Hotel on York Street in Launceston.
According to the THS, the hotel has a capacity of 25 beds, with Secretary and State Health Commander Kathrine Morgan-Wicks advising staff would be redeployed from the vaccination program to support the facility.
Australian Medical Association Tasmania spokeswoman Dr Annette Barratt was part of the team who worked on the development and protocols for the Hobart facility while employed by the THS.
She explained the patients likely to occupy the facility would be of a similar level of illness to at-home patients but in a higher risk category.
"They're the same people who would be managed at-home,'' she said.
"Their COVID symptoms are mild or very moderate and these people would normally be managed in the COVID at-home program, but for other reasons, they're not suitable.
"They have other comorbidities, they live in a crowded house, they live more than 50 kilometres away from the city. There's a reason why they're not suitable for COVID at-home and they're put in the medi-hotels so they can be close to the city and be managed safely."
Dr Annette Barratt said staffing at the centres would be nurse-led with doctors available through the same channels as patients recovering at-home.
"The service centres are nurse-led and there would be a number of nurses available in each facility because they're not providing hands-on care," she said.
"These are basically well people so the nurses are doing monitoring and welfare checks, there will also be psychologists and social workers available."
The THS did not advise how many staff would be redeployed to the facility, with Ms Morgan-Wicks only advising the government recognised the COVID response would require additional staff, with further recruitment underway.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation state secretary Emily Shepherd said based on available modelling the union expected around 30 nurses would be required to staff the facilities and at-home program across the state.
She said the ANMF had requested the THS provide a workforce plan and as part of the government COVID preparedness plan to look at some workforce modelling but nothing had been provided.
"We don't know the specific details around ratios or the staffing profile," she said.
"The workforce plan, as part of the preparedness plan that the government had put together, is one thing that the ANMF is still waiting for further information on."
The Department of Health was asked to confirm how many staff the nurse-led facility would require based on government modelling, but declined to confirm, only stating staffing would follow best practice to ensure the level of care was appropriate.
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