Capital Health Network

The impact of the bushfires and COVID-19 led to shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) both here in the ACT and on a national scale. This had an immediate impact on general practice with local supplies quickly exhausted and the Commonwealth released PPE from the National Medical Stockpile (NMS) for PHNs to distribute based on established criteria.

The General Practice Improvement Team (GPIT) and CHN staff have delivered over 90,000 items of PPE to general practice, community pharmacy and allied health providers since stock was released. The team has also delivered 27,000+ items of PPE to the three GP Respiratory Clinics.

To make the process as seamless as possible for recipients of PPE, the team developed a web form for requests, allocating PPE according to demand, available supply and practice size (using standard whole patient equivalent). The team also managed the logistics required to supply these across the ACT. This supply of masks was supported by frequent updates to practices on appropriate use of masks and current testing requirements which reflected the prevailing advice from the ACT Chief Health Officer. To ensure that PPE was delivered in line with the Commonwealth’s requirements, the team also identified a list of local PPE suppliers which is updated regularly and hosted on the CHN website.

Testimonial

Thank you very much CHN for all your hard work and support during these COVID times!” said Wentworth Avenue Family Practice