Our COVID Response
At Health Consumers Queensland we have never seen the health system work this hard and this collaboratively to care for its consumers.
The challenges for Health Consumers Queensland and Queensland Health mean we need to work closely together to ensure consumers are brought in at the right time to influence plans, and public-facing communications and directives.
Here we update you on the latest work with consumers and staff and share how consumer input is impacting how Queensland Health supports and informs Queenslanders around COVID-19.
Queensland Health Resources
Queensland Health has produced a range of resources to help consumers prepare for the expected increase in COVID cases. Topics include preparing your family, what happens if you test positive and where to get help. There are sections with specific information for people living in regional areas, First Nations communities, residents of Aged Care facilities and more.
Visit the Queensland Health Get COVID ready page >
Visit the main Qld Health COVID page, which has highlights and links to the latest information >
Latest updates
Do Queenslanders Feel COVID-ready?
With our state border due to open on 17 December, Health Consumers Queensland hosted 3 webcasts. Our aim was to increase the COVID-readiness of Queensland health consumers and carers. We did this by providing a forum for information-sharing by clinical experts and leaders from Queensland Health. What we heard was that Queenslanders feel uncertainty and want to:
- Hear from their local health services
- Know what plans are in place
- Know how to escalate issues
- Know how to be prepared
COVID Preparation Webcast 3: Preparing Rural and Remote Communities
Throughout the pandemic we have been hearing the concerns of consumers and health staff in rural and remote areas about how a COVID outbreak could affect their communities and families.
There are large sections of Queensland where they have been fortunate not to have a single case of COVID. But what does this mean when COVID comes to Queensland, and comes into areas that haven’t been exposed to it?
- What levels of community transmission are likely during outbreaks in rural and remote communities? What impact will lower vaccination rates have?
- What will healthcare look like in rural and remote areas during a COVID-19 surge?
- What will COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment mean if hospital is hours away?
- How are rural and remote communities, smaller health services, rural GPs, community controlled health organisations, retrieval services, local councils and local emergency services preparing to cope?
- How will people access food, medications and community services?
In our third webcast of the series, Melissa Fox hosts Statewide Rural and Remote Clinical Network co-chairs Dr Konrad Kangru and Dr Emily Moody to discuss COVID-19 preparation from a rural and remote perspective.
COVID Preparation Webcast 2: Dr Krispin Hajkowicz and Tommy Hajkowicz
Challenges and Lessons of COVID from a Unique Perspective
Dr Krispin Hajkowicz understands COVID-19 as few Queenslanders can. As one of Australia’s leading infectious diseases doctors in Australia, in 2020 he found himself at the epicentre of Queensland’s coronavirus outbreak, overseeing care for COVID positive patients at one of Queensland’s biggest hospitals. The fear of inadvertently bringing COVID-19 home to his family was ever present. However, in August COVID-19 came into their home via a community outbreak, infecting two of their children.
This very special COVID readiness webcast was recorded at 10.30am on Monday 13 December when we welcomed Dr Hajkowicz and his 13-year-old son Tommy.
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