TLC Healthcare chief executive Lou Pascuzzi says integrating primary care medical centres into their homes and years of planning infectious disease control measures has been key to avoiding COVID-19 outbreaks in their 11 aged care homes.
The provider has 1,500 aged care residents and 1,800 front-line staff across Melbourne and Geelong, but has so far avoided infection which he attributes to having resident doctors at every site.
“Our general practitioners and chronic disease management nurses have spearheaded TLC’s outbreak management plans that were devised by our Infection Control Taskforce,” Mr Pascuzzi said. “Over the last 5 years, these plans have proven to be effective in containing influenza and gastroenteritis cases in our homes, so we were confident in our preparedness for COVID-19.”
TLC has also developed an On-Call staffing model that has helped eliminate the use of agency staff.
“TLC also employs our own physiotherapists, podiatrists and dieticians, reducing the number of external contractors moving throughout our homes. As a result of the presence of resident doctors at all of our sites, TLC has ceased the use of locum doctors; minimizing risk and maximizing clinical outcomes,” he added.
