Adelaide PHN has been advocating strongly for consideration of the impact that the introduction of the new Direction has had on general practice and other primary health care providers.
We continue to liaise with SA Health, communicating the situations that are impacting our primary health care providers with increased and duplicative administrative workload, fatigue, distress and frustration of both staff and patients/clients; extensive extra time needed to 'process' patients/clients; inferred responsibility to provide masks to patients/clients; distressing effect on patients/clients who cannot wear a mask or cannot use QR codes; escalation of anxiety and fear which is preventing people from accessing very necessary health care etc. We are hopeful that there will be some changes that will make things smoother and we will continue to keep you updated. Here is what is in place right now:
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New Direction effective from Tuesday morning (1 December)
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72 hour amnesty ends Friday morning (4 December)
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All health services, including general practice, allied health etc must have a COVID safe plan lodged online
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Lodgement/approval of plan generates a distinct QR code for that practice
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General public have been directed to wear single use surgical masks when attending health services
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Infection control procedures, physical distancing practices etc in place throughout this pandemic should continue
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SA Health has stated that primary health care services can utilise an electronic spreadsheet in lieu of paper templates for patients/clients that cannot scan in for whatever reason (clearly these must contain at least the same information as the paper template and be securely stored in date order)
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