GPs are being reassured they will get PPE supplies, after some expressed concerns that they would have to wait under the planned distribution priority list.
This week, the WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) advised that new PPE supplies had been received from the National Medical Stockpile and would be distributed across WA health care providers.
However, not everyone was happy about priority list for the distribution, with some GPs peeved they were appeared to be lower in priority than pharmacies dispending COVID vaccines.
WAPHA said in the email that supplies would be distributed as follows:
- Australian Government Department of Health indicated areas of high priority with an at-risk population (Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) in the Pilbara, Kimberley and Goldfield.
- Organisations which will be managing a high volume of COVID-19 positive patients (GP Respiratory clinics)
- General practices and ACCHS that indicated, prior to December 2021, a willingness to see COVID-19 positive patients face-to-face.
- General practices that indicated willingness to see COVID-19 positive patients face-to-face and submitted a request form in January 2022.
- Pharmacies that are administering COVID-19 vaccines and submitted a request form in January 2022.
- All remaining orders.
But on Thursday, WAPHA General Manager Primary Care Innovation and Development Bernadette Kenny said the original distribution plan was based on anticipated stock arriving at the warehouse, items that needed to fulfil various PPE bundles, and urgency in getting as many bundles as possible issued, rather than holding back some orders if items were missing.
“Given we have now received the full order from the National Medical Stockpile, we have enough PPE stock to fill and dispatch all pending orders within two weeks,” she said.
“Orders to Aboriginal Community Controlled Heath Services and GP Respiratory Clinics have already been dispatched and we are now working though all remaining orders.
“The PPE we have received includes P2/ N95 respirators, face shields, goggles, gowns, gloves, surgical masks, pulse oximeters and hand sanitiser.”
She said they had updated information provided previously on PPE eligibility which confirmed that general practices which had agreed to see respiratory patients face to face and COVID positive patients virtually or were conducting services that may put them in contact with patients with respiratory symptoms, were eligible to order P2/N95 respirators and eye protection until March 31.