Dr Gail Matthews

HEAD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, ST VINCENT’S HOSPITAL AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT THE KIRBY INSTITUTE, UNSW

As head of infectious diseases at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital and a clinical academic at the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales, Dr Gail Matthews’s expertise is proving critical at this moment in history. Normally dividing her time between running clinical research studies and working in clinical medicine – at St Vincent’s she looks after general infectious disease admissions and runs three outpatient clinics a week – she’s now committed to leading St Vincent’s’s Covid-19 action plan.

“My responsibility is to guide the hospital’s response to this pandemic, which is a complex process, because it involves advising multiple departments, managing high levels of anxiety amongst staff and rethinking lots of pathways in the hospital to potentially deal with the response,” she explains.

While Dr Matthews concedes that Covid-19 is certainly the biggest challenge of her career, she’s accustomed to the risks inherent in her role. “I’m an HIV physician and first went into that in the 90s when there was still a lot of stigma and anxiety around HIV, so I come from a background that’s used to dealing with infectious disease risk,” she says. “I’m cautious, but not overly worried about dealing with Covid patients in a healthcare system that’s functioning well. When you can take the proper precautions, the risk is fairly low.”

While Australia has been successful in flattening the curve, at the outset of the virus outbreak Dr Matthews and her colleagues were surprised by how quickly it took hold. “Those of us who specialise in infectious diseases are always aware that a pandemic could come, but the rapidity with which it happened and the scenes we saw overseas of health services being overwhelmed were incredibly disturbing and unexpected,” she reflects. “In Australia, the UK and various other countries, we have healthcare services that function well, so to see some of those systems crippled was shocking. Luckily, those circumstances haven’t happened here, because systems have been put in place to help control the number of cases, and that’s given the hospital breathing space to allow it to set up policies and procedures needed if there is a surge of cases in the future.”

St Vincent’s is a hospital known for its community spirit, and Dr Matthews points out that staff have demonstrated remarkable respect, kindness and dedication in recent months. “Across the hospital, from the cleaners to administration and allied health staff, nurses and medical staff, and also in the wider community, it’s amazing how people want to contribute and help,” she says. CC

Belinda Lofts

DIRECTOR OF NETWORK ASSURANCE, OPTUS

Belinda Lofts may not be exposed to the same health risks as doctors or nurses, but she has still played a crucial part in helping Australians during this time of crisis. As director of network assurance at Optus, she makes sure we are able to stay in touch with loved ones while staying at home. “We’re accountable for the availability of the Optus network Australia-wide, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” she explains. “It’s been so much more than just being a network provider. It’s about human experience and how we can help Australians.”

In her role, Lofts has facilitated the country’s transition to working and socialising from home. Zoom conference calls, remote training sessions and hours of television bingeing have meant Lofts and her team have faced unprecedented spikes in data consumption and demand, but they have seized these challenges as opportunities to learn and provide timely solutions. “We’re the mechanism by which education is continuing; we’re bringing the classroom into the home. We’re the way that businesses are able to have virtual office team meetings. It’s through us that people can find ways to entertain, stress-relieve and relax,” she says. “The availability of our network has never been more important, because it’s about connecting people and minimising those effects of social isolation.”

Lofts is aware that the bushfires that ravaged our country months before have prepared her to claim responsibility for how we connect. “When the bushfires happened, people wanted to know if their loved ones were okay and this situation is no different,” she says, reflecting that despite the circumstances, helping those most in need to connect online with their loved ones has been extremely rewarding. “[We’re] providing financial assistance for those in difficult times, providing free access and free data for healthcare workers … making sure that service is available to them when they need to make that phone call, when they’re lonely and they need to connect. That’s the most important part.” As told to Jen Nurick

REGISTERED NURSE, COVID-19 TESTING CLINIC AT BONDI PAVILION, BONDI BEACH, SYDNEY

The sunshine is especially bright as it bounces off the white sands of a deserted Bondi Beach. It’s late April, and this coastal playground is empty after being shut down for more than a month since being identified as a hot spot for the community spread of coronavirus.

Like all locals, Ali Murphy, a Bondi resident and registered nurse at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital, misses her beach lifestyle, but as one of the team of healthcare workers carrying out Covid-19 testing at the Bondi Pavilion clinic, which also offers a drive-through service, she’s happy to retire her swimsuit for a while.

She also feels well-prepared for her frontline role. “We’ve been given lots of training,” she asserts. “And for me personally, it’s all the staff working together and the support we’ve had from the community that has kept my spirits up.”

As well as carrying out the test itself, informing visitors to the Bondi clinic has been a key responsibility for the Bondi crew. “As a team we discussed how crucial it is to educate people on the importance of social distancing and the fact that once they’ve had a Covid test they need to self-isolate until the results arrive,” she says.

And while hospital staff have maintained a calm professionalism in their roles, Murphy points out that they’ve been affected by the uncertainty of these times as much as everyone else. “I guess the challenging thing for many of us working in healthcare at the moment is that there is something going on that we’ve never experienced. I work with some veteran doctors and nurses who have said of past situations: ‘Don’t worry, we’ve been through this before.’ But this is the first time it’s new for everyone.”

Murphy is looking forward to a time when the Bondi clinic is no longer needed, but stresses she is pleased to be working right now. “It feels good to be part of flattening the curve and being part of the strategy that’s keeping Australia safe. I think screening is playing a very vital role in that, so it’s a privilege to play that role.” CC