Office closure 2021

Season’s Greetings! 

Brisbane South PHN will be closed for the holiday season from 12 noon Friday 24 December 2021, and will reopen Tuesday 4 January 2022. All staff and services will be unavailable during this time. 

To help you prepare for the holidays, please refer to our checklist below. 

  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – ensure your PPE stocks are sufficient until mid-January 2022, and you have factored in potential changes to the current PPE escalation level. You can read the Australian Government’s PPE Buyer’s Guide here. 
  • Ordering PPE and delivery timeframes – the last day to order PPE from the National Medical Stockpile (NMS) is 5pm Monday 20 December 2021, for delivery on Thursday 23 December 2021. The first deliveries of PPE in the new year will be Friday 7 January 2022. 
  • Stay up to date – stay informed about the latest public health directions regarding COVID-19 by signing up to Queensland Health alerts here. 
  • COVID-19 information and resources – for up-to-date information for the Brisbane south region, visit your COVID-19 Portal 
  • Testing clinics – opening times for respiratory clinics in the region may vary over the holiday period. For the latest information about clinics and opening times, visit the Queensland Health testing and clinics page. 
  • Disaster readiness – as we head into severe weather season, ensure your practice is prepared, well stocked and best positioned to respond to crises and the health needs of your patients. Find out how your practice can prepare by visiting our Disaster Readiness webpage. 
  • Mental health – 2021 has been another challenging year.  Our confidential 24/7 EAP counselling service for health professionals remains available to anyone who needs it . If you, or someone you know, needs urgent support during the holiday period, the following services may also be able to assist: 

Emergency Triple Zero: 000 
Lifeline: 13 11 14 
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 
Beyond Blue Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service: 1800 512 348 
Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS): 1800 177 833 
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 
eHeadspace: 1800 650 890 
Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 
1300 MH CALL: 1300 64 22 55 

  • Mental health service provision during the holidays – the end of year holiday period can prompt a surge in mental health presentations, suicidal ideation and substance use. Brisbane South PHN service providers have collated information about their service availability during the end of year holiday period into a handy compendium. This resource advises open/closed dates and emergency contact details for PHN-commissioned mental health, suicide prevention and alcohol and other drug services, and notes contingencies in place for access to alternative support and information for participants. You can view 2021/22 end of year service provision here.  

A big thank you to all health providers and your teams in our region for your ongoing commitment to community health, safety and wellbeing through another challenging year; we look forward to working with you in 2022.