The significant disruptions to ‘business as normal’, paired with increased pressure on some teams, has meant that RFDS Victoria’s staff has needed to be flexible in meeting the needs of the organisation in 2020.
This flexibility can be seen in the symbiotic relationship that quickly developed between our Mobile Patient Care (MPC) division and Primary Health – with the latter stepping up to the plate in ensuring that our road and air teams were well-supported in dealing with the new PPE requirements.
With services such as dental facing temporary hiatuses to some elements of their offering, staff were redeployed to help at bases instead. Primary Health staff assisted with the packing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all of RFDS Victoria’s 25 branches across Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. They delivered stock to metro and country branches and made 'grab-and-go' style PPE packs to streamline the process.
RFDS Victoria’s staff also managed the national PPE stockpile that was established to ensure supply of PPE to RFDS operations around the country, a process that involved receiving, sorting and distributing thousands of boxes of vital protective equipment.
In addition to managing PPE, staff have also been involved in other vital processes, including developing our new medication management procedure, new asset tracking system, routing optimisation functionality and staff rostering optimisation system.
Travis Gilbert, General Manager – Mobile Patient Care, says that the ability to lean on other parts of the organisation was vital to the organisation’s management during this unusual period.
“I am incredibly proud of our teams across the organisation. The way that staff have supported each other, and the organisation is testament to the quality of people who work for RFDS Victoria,” says Mr Gilbert.
“Having our Primary Health teams enthusiastic to provide support ensured our patient care teams were able to operate with the high quality PPE they needed, giving them confidence to continue providing patient care during a period of heightened stress and anxiety. I commend all involved.”
