The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) have welcomed additional measures from the Commonwealth designed to improve the safety of healthcare workers.

The new partnership between the Infection Control Expert Group (ICEG) and the national COVID-19 evidence taskforce will be critical in ensuring a safer environment for physicians, surgeons, their trainees and other health workers.

The partnership will bring together leading experts in infectious diseases and infection control and a range of other specialists to review the high volume of emerging evidence and develop key recommendations for clinical settings.  Providing up to date advice where the evidence base is rapidly evolving and its implementation on the ground by health and aged care settings has been a challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our colleges will continue to work closely with the Commonwealth and states to ensure additional measures for tracking workplace acquired infections with a commitment to ensure the safety of health and aged care workers, patients and residents are implemented.

 

Professor John Wilson AM, RACP President
Dr Tony Sparnon, RACS President