Frontline workers on COVID-19 ward at Sydneys Liverpool Hospital dont feel safe

Staff on a COVID-19 ward at Liverpool Hospital in south-west Sydney are “afraid” to come to work, citing safety concerns, a frontline worker at the hospital has told SBS News. 

A special ward for geriatric patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 was quickly erected in an unused surgical ward at the hospital on 26 July, hours after two nurses tested positive for the disease.

“The respiratory ward is exceptional and I can’t say a bad word about it … [it’s] honestly the gold standard. But the ward they’ve set up in response to the geriatric outbreak truly scares me,” said the frontline worker, who requested anonymity.

“In the respiratory ward, there are single rooms with small sealed rooms attached to them that you can remove your PPE and clean yourself in.

“In the new COVID ward [for geriatric patients] they’ve got normal isolation rooms, but you need to remove your apron and gloves in that room with the patient. 

“It means you could have it on your clothes or be carrying [the virus] on you.”

Five COVID-19 deaths are now linked to the Liverpool Hospital cluster.

AAP

On Saturday, NSW Health confirmed five deaths were now linked to a COVID-19 outbreak at the hospital. 

“A woman in her 80s, a man in his 80s and a man in his 90s, all from south-west Sydney, died at Liverpool Hospital,” NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty said. 

“These three deaths bring to five the number of deaths now linked to the Liverpool Hospital outbreak.”

A South Western Sydney Local Health District spokesperson confirmed to SBS News ​​in a statement on Saturday: “Four staff and 29 patients [at Liverpool Hospital] contracted COVID-19 after a staff member unknowingly worked while infectious”. 

“The staff member had already received one dose of the Pfizer vaccine and was awaiting their second.”  

On Friday, NSW Health said a woman in her 60s had died after being exposed to the virus by a health worker at the hospital. 

“She acquired her infection in Liverpool Hospital and that was a transmission in the hospital,” NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said.

“That was the second death connected with the outbreak following a death [of a man] in his 90s at this hospital.”

Dr McAnulty called the outbreak a “tragedy”. 

“The hospital takes this very seriously, this is a tragedy, and everyone is working very hard at the facility and across NSW Health to protect patients and staff members.” 

'It looks like a tent. I don’t feel safe'

The frontline worker SBS News spoke to said while it was mandatory for those who have patient contact to be fully vaccinated, they - and colleagues they had spoken with - were still worried about bringing the disease home to their loved ones and community. 

“A lot of nurses [are] refusing to go to the COVID wards or just calling in sick, non-stop,” they said. 

“The four-bedded bays in the respiratory ward have sealed rolling glass doors, whereas these four-bedded bays [in the new, makeshift COVID-19 geriatric ward] have a large plastic sheet taped to the wall and the ceiling, with zips to enter and exit.

“The rooms should be sealed with a door to keep the COVID contained to the patient’s space. 

“It looks like a tent. I don’t feel safe working there.”

The frontline worker said other staff at the hospital had safety concerns.

AAP

Although the frontline worker said the new ward has the required negative air pressure system and staff were provided with sufficient PPE, some of “the geriatric patients can be confused or cognitively impaired and try to remove it from us,” they said.

“We try to restrict the amount of time spent in the room with them as the disease is airborne and they are often coughing on you.”

The frontline worker said while protocols were in place to protect staff, the recent outbreak had put pressure on staffing levels. 

“You need someone to watch you apply and remove your PPE so that you do not breach your own safety.

“[But] sometimes there aren’t sufficient staff to make sure you are being supervised. I am afraid I am going to bring [COVID-19] home to my family.”

They also detailed an alleged incident of a COVID-positive patient trying to exit the hospital via a fire escape.

“This ward didn’t have the fire escapes locked because it’s not usually a geriatric-specific ward,” they said.

Language barriers and misinformation

Another challenge for staff working with COVID positive patients at the hospital has come from language barriers, the frontline worker said. 

“[The] majority of patients are [from] non-English speaking backgrounds. You can’t organise a translator every single time you need to communicate with a patient.

“It’s hard to convey to a patient even if they speak and understand English what they need to do to keep us safe … sometimes patients can’t understand the risk of transmission.”

Staff are also having to fight misinformation about COVID-19, they said. 

“A lot of the families of the patients I care for don’t believe that COVID is a serious illness.” 

“I’ve been verbally abused for treating family members for COVID.”

In response to the frontline worker’s concerns about safety, the South Western Sydney Local Health District spokesperson said: “As with all public hospitals, Liverpool has strict protocols and procedures in place to reduce as much as possible any COVID-19 infection among patients and staff, which includes daily/regular testing and the use of PPE”. 

“Liverpool Hospital continues to provide care to staff and patients who contracted COVID-19 in our geriatric and neurology wards in July and their close contacts.”

“South Western Sydney Local Health District extends its deepest sympathy to the families and loved ones of five patients who contracted COVID-19 at Liverpool Hospital and who subsequently passed away.”

NSW recorded 319 locally acquired COVID-19 cases up to 8pm on Friday, the highest daily total yet. The five new deaths bring the total number in NSW to 84.

“I chose this profession to help people, and since the start of the pandemic in Australia I have wanted to help in the healthcare efforts as much as possible,” the frontline worker said. 

“I want to stay fit and healthy, to be able to continue working, but I am afraid of working under these conditions.”

Do you know more about this story? Email jennifer.scherer@sbs.com.au

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