Implementing a pandemic roster in a specialty emergency department: Challenges and benefits

Au, Benjamin WY; Tranquilino, Ramil; Apswoude, Geraldine; Crock, Carmel

OBJECTIVE: To create a roster that eliminated unnecessary cross‐staff exposure to ensure the hospital had sufficient staff to run the ED in the event that a group of staff are affected by COVID‐19. This roster was aimed at providing staff with ‘manageable shift lengths, down‐time between shifts, regular breaks and access to refreshments’ as dictated by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services. METHODS: Creating six fixed teams in our ED. Teams work blocks of three consecutive days of 12 h shifts, each block alternates between day and night shifts. RESULTS: We managed to completely eliminate unnecessary crossover of staff thus reducing risk of having a large part of our workforce incapacitated should any member be affected by COVID. CONCLUSION: A pandemic roster plan to minimise staff exposure from other colleagues during a pandemic was possible. This helps to ensure an adequate workforce in the unfortunate event a staff contracts the disease leading to other close contact staff requiring isolation or succumbing to the same illness.