Covid Health System Response raised to Stage 3

With the escalating Covid wave leading to increased pressure on the health system, through rapidly rising hospitalisations and furloughing rates, the State Government has raised the Covid Health System Response to Stage 3. All Victorian health services will have received the following message and have implemented any necessary changes.

Given the increasing demand on the Victorian public health system, the Health System Response will be escalated to Stage 3, effective Saturday 3 December 2022.

This is a reflection of both high numbers of people with COVID in hospital, particularly across our metropolitan health services, as well as ongoing furlough challenges at all sites leading into the holiday period.

This will enable the enhanced application of levers to best utilise resources, facilitate load balancing and generate capacity in order to relieve system pressures.

Implementation of Stage 3 enables

• The use of extended team models, based on local need and in consultation with healthcare worker unions
• Increased telehealth utilisation (including inpatient settings), to support workforce efficiencies.
• The Health Service Response Centre (HSRC) scaled model to be stood up, which includes the recommencement of daily operational meetings with AV and metropolitan/regional health service representatives from Monday 5 December 2022.
• Further utilisation of private hospital capacity for public patients

See the attached documents by clicking on on the links below.

Health System Response – 2 December 2022
Health System Response Factsheet – 2 December 2022