CEO of Ballarat Health Service Dale Fraser has outlined how his organisation will be marking milestones on the road map to the state\u2019s \u201cCOVID-normal\u201d footing.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters on Monday via video link, Mr Fraser addressed a range of issues such as access to BHS sites including aged care and the service\u2019s ongoing role in tackling the virus.<\/p>\n
He also gave a warning about complacency around COVID-19.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Premier released a road map to COVID-normal and it does highlight a very long tail,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the nature of this virus. Until a vaccine is discovered\u2026 we\u2019re going to have to have a heightened sense of awareness and preparedness for its ongoing management.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis virus kills, and kills the most vulnerable in our community. We as a community member have a responsibly to not only ensure the care of ourselves is managed, but we do provide care for others as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for what\u2019s coming up for BHS in regards to managing COVID-19, not a much will change in the short term.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of what we\u2019ve been doing for the last few months will continue,\u201d Mr Fraser said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can well imagine it\u2019ll continue with things like visitor restrictions\u2026 extensive use of personal protective equipment\u2026 increased surveillance and testing within our community.<\/p>\n
As for what that access for families and visitors might look like to BHS\u2019 aged care facilities, Mr Fraser said the issue was constantly under review and the 400 or so seniors in the service\u2019s care were the number one priority.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll keep looking at the visitor restrictions to ensure we maintain a balance between what is safe and fair,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll keep using what\u2019s going on around our community to judge the restriction changes we may or not make. Certainly, the signs are positive that we can look to an easing of some of those in the coming period of time.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt some level, visitor restriction of some form, whether they might be PPE, or limited time\u2026 may be with us for some period.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the press event Mr Fraser also took the opportunity to praise Ballarat for its response to the pandemic and acknowledged that expectations around the length of time restrictions have been going for, and their impact, were of concern.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve done remarkably well as a community for the last few months and I\u2019m sure the community will continue to do so well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand the community is very frustrated about restrictions, and regional Victoria having earned the right to have some easing of those restrictions, and by and large I think the Premier\u2019s announcements\u2026 were a sign that he\u2019s open to some further work in that regard.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegional Victoria has done really well, we haven\u2019t had the demand and pressures that metropolitan Melbourne has had, and that\u2019s a very good thing for us to maintain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want to be in an environment where exposure is running rampant though our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
With relatively low numbers of COVID-19 positive cases in Ballarat recently the health service was not currently providing care to any affected patients in the city.<\/p>\n
Yet Mr Fraser did say BHS staff were overseeing cases in the service\u2019s wider catchment area.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are\u2026 providing broader care across the region,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have a number of patients in Bacchus Marsh and in Horsham we\u2019re providing ongoing care to through our infections diseases folk.\u201d<\/p>\n
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