The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has released a handy toolkit to help healthcare practices keep patients and practice teams safe during the winter months.
The Winter Planning Toolkit provides information on infection prevention and control, workforce protection and planning, processes for patient management, managing the risk of cross-infection, and the health and wellbeing of staff.
Encouraging practices to utilise the toolkit, RACGP President Adj. Professor Karen Price says the resource will prove useful for practices across Australia during the winter months and urges healthcare practices to consider how this toolkit can help them.
“For example, it helpfully outlines possible approaches practices can take when delivering flu vaccines during the pandemic,” she said.
“The resource also has useful information on infection prevention and control measures to reduce the risk of infection between patients visiting the practice and staff who work there.”
Adj. Professor Price continued: “Winter is upon us, and we must be prepared.
“During the colder months, people huddle inside more in close proximity to each other, and germs spread. That includes common colds, influenza, and of course the virus that has been front of mind for the last two- and a-bit years – Covid-19.
“There is also evidence that suggests cold, dry air like you find typically in the winter months […] helps the spread of respiratory viruses and this may include Covid-19.
“The flu is back and, after two years free from the virus when our borders were slammed shut, rates are rising in communities across Australia.
“Many people are reporting that strains currently circulating are making them sicker for longer than has been the case in the past.
“There is no need to be unduly alarmed – however, there are important steps practices and patients can take to limit the spread of the flu.
“That includes getting vaccinated and remembering all those things we learnt about during the pandemic such as sneezing or coughing into your elbow or wearing a mask if sick,” she said.
