Private operator brought in for major overhaul of WA hotel quarantine

A major overhaul is coming for Western Australia’s hotel quarantine operations, after the McGowan government agreed to hire a private health logistics company to provide all doctors and nurses to the system.

Healthcare Australia, which is already contracted to the New South Wales and Victorian governments, recruits and trains medical staff specifically to manage and treat people in hotels.

“The Health Department has appointed Healthcare Australia to provide end-to-end health support services, including all GPs, nurses and nursing assistants,” outgoing State Health Incident Controller Dr Robyn Lawrence said.

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The hotel Four Points by Sheraton was the epicentre of WA’s January lockdown.

The company has had some role in WA’s quarantine system since March, last year. Using their staff will allow public health care workers to return to frontline hospital duties.

While WA has largely kept COVID-19 out of the state, or quickly crushed any outbreaks, two lockdowns in Perth and the Peel region have been the result of the virus escaping hotel quarantine.

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In January, a security guard caught the virus while guarding a floor of the Four Points Sheraton without wearing a mask because he was not required to.

And a man in a room opposite two guests with the virus at the Mercure Hotel was infected by airborne contamination in April.

Neither hotel is now being used for quarantine following a report into the two outbreaks.

“HCA clinical staff are trained in, and have been instrumental in the development of, current hotel quarantine procedures,” Dr Lawrence said.

“The move will enable clinical staff to return to frontline healthcare services.”

The McGowan government said last week it was still considering other ideas for quarantining passengers from overseas.

The federal government has ruled out using any Commonwealth facilities in WA.

Source: Thanks msn.com