COVID Communications

Throughout the year communications played a vital role in keeping communities, staff and health professionals up to date with the latest news, data reports and changes to COVID health advice.

WQPHN continued to inform our communities on a regular basis across a range of communication platforms including Facebook, newsletters, emails, website updates and publications.

Targeted campaigns were aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19 across our vulnerable communities, including the COVID SAFE TRAVELS OUT WEST Campaign. The campaign included postcards and posters distributed across Western Queensland with key health messages and travelling tips targeting the "Grey nomads", linking directly to a dedicated COVID Safe Travels page on the WQPHN Website.  

Vaccination

WQPHN continued the successful roll-out of targeted vaccination clinics (pop-ups) across the region in 2021-22. A strong focus was on hard-to-reach populations, particularly First Nations peoples and remote communities with limited access to vaccinations.

Working in close collaboration with our health partners WQPHN coordinated schedules, vaccination locations and administration sites, and utilised the services of vaccination teams, directly funded by the Department of Health.

Community Care Pathways

The COVID-19 Response team worked with Queensland Health clinical leads, Healthdirect, our ACCHS, GP’s and other stakeholders to develop and update community care pathways. These pathways provided clear plans for where and how patients were managed in the primary and community care system, depending on their clinical risk and severity of illness. Pathways also identified escalation arrangements for people who needed to be admitted to a virtual ward (hospital in the home) for more intense observation or admitted to hospital. 

PPE

As our Health Services continued the challenge of managing COVID-positive patients, WQPHN was able to support General Practices, ACCHSs, and Community Pharmacies across Western Queensland by supplying and distributing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to allow practitioners to safely continue their vital work.

During this period WQPHN distributed more than:

Our Stories

Western Queensland Aged Care leads the way in COVID prevention

The steady achievers in 2021/22 have once again been the committed staff working in residential and community aged care. Throughout the added stress of COVID-19, they persevered through the hugely increased information flow from the sector, supporting their elderly frail residents with multiple vaccinations and the many lock downs that were so difficult for all involved.

In the words of Betty Kiernan, Director, Laura Johnson Home, “we’re still walking, we’re still on this journey” reflecting on her experience keeping the residents in Mount Isa safe.

Videos