The Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union said it still had no assurances from Queensland Health that proper fit testing and checking of PPE is being effectively carried out across the state’s public health system. QNMU secretary Beth Mohle said she was “extremely concerned” nurses and other healthcare workers were treating COVID positive patients without being properly fitted. “The consequences of this could be catastrophic,” she said.“Health workers must be provided with appropriate PPE, which is checked and fitted with a proper seal, but we still don’t have assurances that this is consistently being done across the state’s public health system.“The QNMU has called on QH to provide an audit of the number of workers being fit tested, the type of fit testing undertaken and who is undertaking the fit testing. So far, the response from QH has been inadequate. “It’s a public health issue which continues to put frontline nurses and the people they treat each and every day at real risk of COVID-19.”Ms Mohle said the union had become increasingly concerned after three nurses and a doctor at the Princess Alexandra Hospital contracted the virus, resulting in a three-day lockdown across Greater Brisbane and a statewide mask mandate. “There are COVID positive or potentially positive patients being cared for in public health facilities in regional and metropolitan Queensland. This is why we are demanding that each and every HHS (hospital and health service) must report the status of their PPE fit testing and taken action to remedy any shortfalls as soon as possible,” she said. “It is imperative that the QNMU has reliable, up-to-date information about the fit testing of respirators across HHSs to protect nurses and the wider community against the spread of COVID-19.”The dispute will be heard in the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission at 2pm on Wednesday. When asked about it on Wednesday, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was aware there “had been some upgrades to PPE”.
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