Inpatients with COVID symptoms can be tested for COVID-19 within three hours at South Gippsland hospitals when a clinically urgent result is required.
Monash Health Pathology is offering Rapid COVID-19 testing to hospital inpatients, including those attending the Urgent Care Centre and the Emergency Department at Wonthaggi Hospital.
Bass Coast Health Chief Executive Officer Jan Child said the service would help ensure the safety of patients, the community and the staff.
“Rapid testing enables patients presenting with COVID symptoms to be assessed quickly for their own peace of mind and also that of the staff treating them,” she said.
“Waiting for test results to return is an anxious time, let alone in the middle of a pandemic, and we want to minimise any anxiety felt by our patients while ensuring our medical staff have all the information they need to be able to make decisions about treatment.”
Rapid COVID-19 testing is offered at the Wonthaggi Pathology Laboratory at Wonthaggi Hospital for all health services within South Gippsland.
Stephen Griffiths, Monash Health Pathology’s Manager at the Wonthaggi Laboratory, said rapid testing would also improve flow and access within hospitals, enabling patients to be allocated a bed sooner.
“For example, a lot of the beds at Bass Coast Health are four bed wards and we can’t place patients within these wards until we make sure that a patient does not have COVID,” he said.
Ms Child said this is another great example of the contemporary services offered by BCH’s partner Monash Health Pathology.