The head of Victoria’s peak body for public hospitals, Tom Symondson, says it is the first time a “code brown” has been called for several hospitals across the state.
Under a code brown, hospitals can cancel the leave of healthcare workers to plug shortages due to staff getting infected with COVID-19 or isolating due to being a close contact.
The measure is aimed at relieving pressure on the hospital system and will apply to all metropolitan hospitals and six regional hospitals. It started at midday today and will last four to six weeks.
The Royal Melbourne Hospital, which is included in the ‘code brown’ declaration.Credit:Justin MacManus
Mr Symondson, the chief executive of the Victorian Healthcare Association, said the declaration reflected how serious the situation is when it comes to the state’s health system.
“The Victorian government has called this code brown at the right time,” Mr Symondson said.
“Our ambulance service and hospitals are already struggling to meet demand from people with COVID-19 while delivering other necessary healthcare, and this is predicted to get worse over the next month. This extreme demand can impact on every Victorian needing healthcare at any time.”
He added that the system-wide approach will help healthcare workers treat the sickest patients first as they respond to rising demand in coming weeks.
“The next month could be the most challenging period our healthcare workers will ever face.”
In Victoria, the most common external emergencies requiring activation of code brown plans are transport accidents, chemical spills and natural emergencies such as fire and floods. More recently, it was used during the thunderstorm asthma event in 2016 at Barwon Health.
The initiative is also aimed at sending a message to the community that people should avoid going to hospital if they can manage their care at home or with their GP. Private hospitals also have the option of calling a code brown.
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