NURSE UNIT MANAGER LINES UP FOR MERCY’S 1000 COVID JAB

As debate rages over the pace and intricacies of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout Kate Bermingham is adamant: no matter what, when your turn comes, get the jab.

As debate rages over the pace and intricacies of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout Kate Bermingham is adamant: no matter what, when your turn comes, get the jab.

Kate is a Nurse Unit Manager at Werribee Mercy Hospital whose harrowing experiences saw her team on the very front line of the pandemic.

“We had 32 patients pass away in 19 weeks,” she says. “No one working on an acute medical ward has ever experienced that and I hope none of us has to experience that again.”

Kate has been at Werribee Mercy 26 years, but it was in August last year that the worst of the pandemic unfolded.

She had been managing a then-24 bed acute medical ward, but as the crisis hit it was moved to a larger area in a single Sunday to become a dedicated 32 bed COVID ward.

“It was ‘go time’ that Monday, August 3, and it was full for the majority of the time for the next 19 weeks,” she says.

“Wyndham City (where the Mercy is located) had a significant number of deaths in aged care facilities – 67 in total.

“Our ward was pretty much full of patients from various aged-care facilities all the time, with the odd younger person having it (COVID).”

The Hoppers Crossing mother of two school-aged daughters worried about the dangers to them and her wider circle of family and friends, due to her work risks.

A number of hospital staff were infected, and each had to be furloughed and isolated for two weeks at a time, putting a huge stress on staffing.

“Staffing the 32 bed COVID ward was consistently challenging,” Kate says.

“Our permanent staff including myself were charged with ensuring all casual nursing staff knew how to don and doff their personal protective equipment (PPE) safely both for themselves, their patients, our staff and all our families. It was high-risk every single day.

“I was rarely in my office for those 19 weeks, I needed to be out on the floor assisting and supporting all our COVID ward staff. We all had to do what we had to do and make ends meet.”

The situation was made more dire by the extra caution staff had to take working in COVID isolation.

“The PPE, we got used to that, it was the least of our worries,” she says. “Staffing however was a huge concern for me as a manager, also seeing our staff not being able to provide the high standard of care they are used to providing, because they could not be in the patient rooms for any length of time.”

The worst experiences were seeing patients pass away without having family able to visit them or be with them in their final moments, but she praises the Mercy Pastoral Care team, who she says were “amazing”.

“They did things such as organising iPads so people could see their loved ones to let them know they were there and ringing next of kin to provide support and updates.”

The team has also helped staff since the crisis eased, as many are still suffering from a misplaced sense of guilt at not being able to do more.

“That’s when I get upset. I knew how I was feeling, and my concern was how staff were coping,” Kate says. “Pastoral Care Manager Mary Klasen, I am forever indebted to her and her care of us. She was our rock.

“I expressed my concern with her that staff had some level of post-traumatic stress disorder, and she said what we were experiencing was a symptom of that called ‘moral injury’, which is related to not being able to provide the care you are used to.

“She hit the nail on the head, it’s something we had all suffered and continue to suffer.”

The pair organised a series of debriefing sessions, for anyone involved in the ward. “It was the best thing we did. Everyone was free to speak or just listen, it was wonderful and seemed to help people work through things.”

Kate plays down the fact that she was the 1000th to be vaccinated at the Mercy.

Of concerns over vaccines such as AstraZeneca, she says authorities are doing the right thing, making sure everyone can make an informed decision, and that once that happens, she is confident senior health officials will still say everyone should have it.

“As someone who had to live though and manage a COVID ward, any vaccination is better than none. I’m under 50, had my first dose of AstraZeneca, and am more than keen to have my second,” she says.

“I feel very strongly about it. A lot of people died last year, and the reality is many wouldn’t have with the vaccine.

“In the absence of anything else it’s what we need to do. It is socially responsible. We should be having it because it could be our mum or dad, our aunt or uncle, even our immediate family, who end up with COVID should we have another outbreak.”

Kate says now the worst is over the memory of those 19 weeks has been beautifully preserved in an image only those who were there will truly appreciate

“One of our staff took a photo through the patient room door, which was normally covered with decals, the decals had been removed so we could see the patient from the corridor, and we could place sticky notes up inside with vital-sign figures that could be read from outside.

“The visual through the internal door out through the external window looking at our community of Wyndham is a powerful one. This was a lived experience that no one else will understand.”