Alfred Health’s role in mandatory quarantine
Alfred Health has supported the mandatory quarantine program at the request of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and subsequently Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS), to help protect the Victorian community from further spread of COVID-19.
Alfred Health’s current role is to deliver clinical services, infection prevention and control expertise, as well as pathogen cleaning.
Spotless, a long-term contract partner to Alfred Health for non-clinical services, has supported the health service in the mandatory quarantine program. They have provided specialised cleaning and, until Wednesday 30 September, customer service and floor monitor roles. Spotless staff were not employed in security roles in hotel quarantine. As part of their induction process, Spotless staff undertake extensive PPE training prior to commencement of duties.
There have been no outbreaks of COVID-19 at hotels where Alfred Health has been involved, and we thank our staff who are working tirelessly in these changed environments to protect the community.
Update: Thursday 8 September
All Alfred Health and Spotless staff working in hotel quarantine undergo extensive infection prevention training and wear full PPE where required.
Given the reduced demand within the Department of Justice and Community Safety COVID-19 accommodation program, a number of Spotless staff have now completed their secondment within the hotel quarantine setting and have returned to their substantive roles working at Alfred Health.
In line with Victorian Government guidelines, staff who do not have symptoms of COVID-19, are not a close contact of someone with COVID-19 and have correctly used PPE and infection prevention protocols as can return to work.
No Spotless staff were permitted to work back and forth between the hotel program and Alfred Health. No Spotless staff have been employed in security roles in the Novotel South Wharf Hotel.
Alfred Health requires any staff - including Spotless - who have symptoms of COVID-19 to undergo testing, and not return to work until they receive clearance via a negative test result.
Any staff member who is a close contact of a person with COVID-19 is furloughed under DHHS guidelines.
Any breaches of infection prevention or PPE protocols are reported and followed up as per DHHS guidelines.
The Novotel South Wharf hotel started as a COVID-19 accommodation in late September.