The Victorian Department of Health has made changes to contact assessment and management guidance for primary care, community-based healthcare and emergency services to incorporate feedback received from stakeholders.
- Of note, the guidelines have been updated to:
- Clarify exposure event scenarios
- Clarify staff contact management guidance for moderate risk and high risk contacts
- Specify that moderate risk contacts are no longer considered to be Primary Close Contacts and their details should not be provided to the Department of Health
The new guidance follows extensive advocacy from North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network, along with many GPs and other health care organisations.
We are currently working with our Clinical Council, General Practice Expert Advisory Group and others to better understand the implications of this new guidance for general practice. If you have feedback on the new guidance, please send it to primarycare@nwmphn.org.au for our consideration.
We have advocated for a telephone hotline for health professionals to quickly access advice on exposure sites and information about their patients with COVID-19 which is now live.
General practices and other primary care providers can request PPE including P2/N95 masks using the PPE request form available on our website.
More information is available in our 28 October 2021 e-bulletin and on the Victorian Department of Health website.
