Life Springs Parkland Hospital has refuted allegations it is not taking the necessary precautions to protect their employees.
The Advertiser received reports that the hospital had not closed and sanitised affected areas after employees tested positive for Covid-19.
Additionally, it was alleged that an employee of the hospital had died as a result of Covid-19.
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Hospital manager Cora Muller confirmed that some staff at Life Springs Parkland Hospital had tested positive for Covid-19, and that the hospital had made the necessary notifications to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and Department of Health (DoH).
“As per NICD guidelines, positive staff members will be isolated for 14 days,” says Muller.
When asked what steps management took after the positive results were known, Muller says they were incredibly grateful and appreciative that their nurses and other healthcare workers continue to provide, under very stressful circumstances, a service to the community and those who are ill.
“The safety of our healthcare workers, employees and patients is of utmost priority.
“In identifying and managing employees and patients who test positive, the necessary notifications to the NICD and DoH are made.
“Contact tracing has been done in each occurrence and the required procedures followed in accordance with our quarantine, isolation and sick leave policy.
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“Only the necessary and involved staff members have been informed through the contact tracing process.
“Life Healthcare employees who test positive for the virus are managed according to our healthcare workers’ exposure policy, in line with NICD guidelines.
“Employees are required to self-isolate for the necessary period before returning to work.
“Employees may only return to work with a negative Covid-19 result and for those employees who are unable to safely quarantine or isolate at home, Life Healthcare has made arrangements with a number of B&B’s (or similar) to ensure they can safely and comfortably see out the required isolation period,” says Muller.
Muller explains that like every medical environment, the hospital could not confirm if any of their employees had died as a result of Covid-19, due to patient confidentiality laws and were not in a position to disclose any information without the necessary consent to do so.
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