RACF COVID-19 Outbreak: Are You a Practice With a GP Considering the Team Leader Role?

Over the last few months, Healthy North Coast has been implementing the COVID-19 Residential Aged Care Facility Outbreak GP Framework.

The framework supports GPs to be ready for an outbreak and provides the opportunity for one GP at each facility to be a GP Team Leader — a remote role whose sole purpose is communication.

What are the impacts of this role on a practice?

• The GP Team Leader will be notified of an outbreak by any member of the GP team seven days a week. The Team Leader then places a call to Healthy North Coast staff. About 30 mins work and being available to receive a mobile call from 8am to 11pm daily.

Routinely:

• The GP will be required to remotely participate in the daily RACF outbreak meeting seven days a week for the first few weeks. Approximately a 20 – 30 minute meeting in the morning.
• Communicate outcomes via text messages / emails to other GP team members at an suitable time in the GPs day.
• Where the outbreak has a GP locum onsite, the team leader role will need to make contact daily to provide support. Approximately a 15 – 20 minute call.
• Any additional requests of the GP Team Leader by the outbreak team will be supported by the Healthy North Coast Ageing Team.

The GP Team Leader role is paid at a competitive hourly rate, and it is supported by regular updates from the HNC Ageing Team with current information on outbreak preventative actions and updates.