Five Western Australian nurses are part of an initial group travelling to Victoria to support that State’s COVID-19 response.
The initial group will join a small Western Australian forward command team already on the ground in Melbourne.
The deployment is in response to the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services’ urgent request for healthcare workers.
Since the call went out, WA Health has received expressions of interest from dozens of nurses willing to help.
Minister for Health, Roger Cook said a register of interested nurses had been set up and additional staff were expected to be deployed in the coming days and weeks.
“The initial deployment of nurses will be focused on providing support to residential aged care facilities in Victoria which have been severely affected by COVID-19,” Mr Cook said.
“The safety of all staff remains a priority and all WA Health staff will be provided with all necessary support on the ground in Victoria, including regular wellbeing checks.”
He said Western Australia’s low numbers of COVID-19 patients and lack of community transmission had made it possible to provide additional support to Victoria, without compromising the home state’s preparedness.
“As well as providing vital on-the-ground assistance, the deployment will provide unique learning opportunities for local healthcare workers, further strengthening WA’s ability to respond to a local outbreak,” Mr Cook said.
All staff will be required to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks on their return to Perth, he said.
The deployment of staff to Victoria is a cross-Agency effort supported by both the WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services and the Australian Defence Force.
