Aviation Workers & Their Training As Contact Tracers
Dear Health Education and Training Institute NSW (HETI),
My name is Mel. I have a few questions regarding the mandatory training modules that were made available to aviation staff as part of their induction to NSW health; primarily as contact tracers.
I would like to know the following:
• Were the training modules specifically related to contact tracing or were they
pertaining to the expectations and requirements of working for NSW Health.
• If the modules were specifically focused on the role of a contact tracer, can I
please know the details of the training material.
• Were professionals such as psychologists available to provide training on how to
handle distressing phone calls, distressing reading material, death notifications
etc, and were there any kind of debriefing sessions at the end of every shift.
• I would also like to know how broadly this cohort of staff were utilised in terms of
their tasks ie were they just completing case questionnaires or utilised more
broadly.
Thank you in advance for your assistance it is greatly appreciated.
Kindest regards,
Mel
(Melissa Griffiths)
Dear Melissa,
The appropriate agency that is able to address the questions raised in
your request below is the Ministry of Health. Following internal enquiries
within the Ministry of Health, I was advised that a response was provided
to you on 18 October 2024 based on a similar request you made to them on
01 September 2024.
For further questions or clarifications, please get in touch with the
Ministry of Health via
[1]https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/gipaa/Page...
Kind regards
Ravi
Ravi Srinivasan
Right to Information Officer
Director Information Systems and Technology Support
Health Education and Training Institute
T 02 9844 6502
M 0408 419 915
E [2][email address]
[3]HETI.NSW.GOV.AU
I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which I live and
work and pay my respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
Disclaimer: This message is intended for the addressee named and may
contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient,
please delete it and notify the sender. Views expressed in this message
are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of
NSW Health or the Health Education and Training Institute.
-----Original Message-----
From: Melissa Griffiths <[4][FOI #12313 email]>
Sent: Sunday, 10 November 2024 1:49 PM
To: HETI-CEOffice <[5][HETI request email]>
Subject: Government Information (Public Access) request - Aviation Workers
& Their Training As Contact Tracers
[You don't often get email from
[6][FOI #12313 email]. Learn why this is
important at [7]https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]
Dear Health Education and Training Institute NSW (HETI),
My name is Mel. I have a few questions regarding the mandatory training
modules that were made available to aviation staff as part of their
induction to NSW health; primarily as contact tracers.
I would like to know the following:
• Were the training modules specifically related to contact tracing
or were they
pertaining to the expectations and requirements of working for NSW
Health.
• If the modules were specifically focused on the role of a contact
tracer, can I
please know the details of the training material.
• Were professionals such as psychologists available to provide
training on how to
handle distressing phone calls, distressing reading material,
death notifications
etc, and were there any kind of debriefing sessions at the end of
every shift.
• I would also like to know how broadly this cohort of staff were
utilised in terms of
their tasks ie were they just completing case questionnaires or
utilised more
broadly.
Thank you in advance for your assistance it is greatly appreciated.
Kindest regards,
Mel
(Melissa Griffiths)
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Hi Ravi,
Thank you for your quick response I really appreciate it.
My first FOI request to the NSW Ministry of Health was to better understand how the aviation staff were initially deployed to NSW Health as Contact Tracers. That, I understand, was through a third-party recruitment agency called Randstad.
What I would like to know more about is their actual training, and, in what way and how broadly they were expected to be utilised.
In their response to my initial FOI request, the NSW Ministry of Health states:
"Contract tracers were provided with an induction to
NSW Health and were required to complete mandatory training modules
facilitated by the Health Education and Training Institute, as required
for all new starters."
Being the training facilitator I thought you would be able to clarify this for me.
Thank you for your time I really appreciate it.
Kind regards,
Melissa Griffiths
Dear Melissa,
I have passed on your follow up question on the actual training and expected utilisation to the Ministry's GIPA team as HETI are not the subject matter experts on this training. I understand that the Ministry's GIPA team are trying to identify the best person or team to answer your questions informally thus avoiding the need for a formal application. Please await a response from them.
Kind regards
Ravi
-----Original Message-----
From: Melissa Griffiths <[FOI #12313 email]>
Sent: Thursday, 21 November 2024 6:34 PM
To: Ravi Srinivasan (HETI) <[email address]>
Subject: Re: FW: Government Information (Public Access) request - Aviation Workers & Their Training As Contact Tracers
Hi Ravi,
Thank you for your quick response I really appreciate it.
My first FOI request to the NSW Ministry of Health was to better understand how the aviation staff were initially deployed to NSW Health as Contact Tracers. That, I understand, was through a third-party recruitment agency called Randstad.
What I would like to know more about is their actual training, and, in what way and how broadly they were expected to be utilised.
In their response to my initial FOI request, the NSW Ministry of Health states:
"Contract tracers were provided with an induction to
NSW Health and were required to complete mandatory training modules
facilitated by the Health Education and Training Institute, as required
for all new starters."
Being the training facilitator I thought you would be able to clarify this for me.
Thank you for your time I really appreciate it.
Kind regards,
Melissa Griffiths
-----Original Message-----
Dear Melissa,
The appropriate agency that is able to address the questions raised in
your request below is the Ministry of Health. Following internal enquiries
within the Ministry of Health, I was advised that a response was provided
to you on 18 October 2024 based on a similar request you made to them on
01 September 2024.
For further questions or clarifications, please get in touch with the
Ministry of Health via
[1]https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/gipaa/Page...
Kind regards
Ravi
Ravi Srinivasan
Right to Information Officer
Director Information Systems and Technology Support
Health Education and Training Institute
T 02 9844 6502
M 0408 419 915
E [2][email address]
[3]HETI.NSW.GOV.AU
I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which I live and
work and pay my respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
Disclaimer: This message is intended for the addressee named and may
contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient,
please delete it and notify the sender. Views expressed in this message
are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of
NSW Health or the Health Education and Training Institute.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #12313 email]
This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will be delayed.
If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This email is intended for the addressee named and may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not disclose, copy or distribute this email. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately, delete it from your system and destroy any copies.
Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of NSW Health or any of its entities.
Hi Ravi,
Thank you for your response and for passing my request on to the Ministry's GIPA team. I am yet to hear from them. Hopefully their response is not too far away.
Thank you again for your assistance it is very much appreciated.
Kind regards,
Melissa Griffiths
Dear Melissa,
Further to my email to you below, and following further internal enquiries, I am advised that there is no information held by the Ministry that will assist with your query specific to aviation staff as they were part of the overall workforce and completed the same training and tasks as all other contact tracers.
Apologies for the delay due to the holiday period and staff not being available to clarify.
Kind regards
Ravi
-----Original Message-----
From: Ravi Srinivasan (HETI)
Sent: Friday, 29 November 2024 9:59 AM
To: Melissa Griffiths <[FOI #12313 email]>
Subject: RE: FW: Government Information (Public Access) request - Aviation Workers & Their Training As Contact Tracers
Dear Melissa,
I have passed on your follow up question on the actual training and expected utilisation to the Ministry's GIPA team as HETI are not the subject matter experts on this training. I understand that the Ministry's GIPA team are trying to identify the best person or team to answer your questions informally thus avoiding the need for a formal application. Please await a response from them.
Kind regards
Ravi
-----Original Message-----
From: Melissa Griffiths <[FOI #12313 email]>
Sent: Thursday, 21 November 2024 6:34 PM
To: Ravi Srinivasan (HETI) <[email address]>
Subject: Re: FW: Government Information (Public Access) request - Aviation Workers & Their Training As Contact Tracers
Hi Ravi,
Thank you for your quick response I really appreciate it.
My first FOI request to the NSW Ministry of Health was to better understand how the aviation staff were initially deployed to NSW Health as Contact Tracers. That, I understand, was through a third-party recruitment agency called Randstad.
What I would like to know more about is their actual training, and, in what way and how broadly they were expected to be utilised.
In their response to my initial FOI request, the NSW Ministry of Health states:
"Contract tracers were provided with an induction to
NSW Health and were required to complete mandatory training modules
facilitated by the Health Education and Training Institute, as required
for all new starters."
Being the training facilitator I thought you would be able to clarify this for me.
Thank you for your time I really appreciate it.
Kind regards,
Melissa Griffiths
-----Original Message-----
Dear Melissa,
The appropriate agency that is able to address the questions raised in
your request below is the Ministry of Health. Following internal enquiries
within the Ministry of Health, I was advised that a response was provided
to you on 18 October 2024 based on a similar request you made to them on
01 September 2024.
For further questions or clarifications, please get in touch with the
Ministry of Health via
[1]https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/gipaa/Page...
Kind regards
Ravi
Ravi Srinivasan
Right to Information Officer
Director Information Systems and Technology Support
Health Education and Training Institute
T 02 9844 6502
M 0408 419 915
E [2][email address]
[3]HETI.NSW.GOV.AU
I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which I live and
work and pay my respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
Disclaimer: This message is intended for the addressee named and may
contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient,
please delete it and notify the sender. Views expressed in this message
are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of
NSW Health or the Health Education and Training Institute.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #12313 email]
This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will be delayed.
If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This email is intended for the addressee named and may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not disclose, copy or distribute this email. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately, delete it from your system and destroy any copies.
Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of NSW Health or any of its entities.
Dear Ravi,
Thank you again for responding to my messages.
Unfortunately that response does not adequately answer my question. If their training was the same as all other contact tracers, I am still left asking the same question. Which is; What were the specifics of that training, what did it entail?? Whichever umbrella of training aviation staff fell under is irrelevant, I am trying to capture what they were taught in order to help them fulfill their duties as contact tracers.
If I need to submit a new FOI request for the specifics of training for ALL contact tracers, then I will do that. I understand you are being given a directive from the ministry and I am sorry if I am making this difficult for you.
Thank you again for your assistance Ravi, I really do appreciate it.
Kind regards,
Mel