During numerous changes in operations in the pandemic times, our Information and Communication Technology (ICT) team has stepped up to support the frontline workers and keep staff and the community connected and safe.

Vikramjit Multani, ICT Infrastructure Manager, explained how the team has successfully collaborated with other ‘back-of-house’ departments to meet the tight deadlines and get systems up and running.

“When COVID-19 came along, testing sites had to be quickly set up in Glenroy, Craigieburn, Northern Health and Meadow Heights. Some of these locations aren’t part of Northern Health, and an immediate response and action was needed from our team to set up all the infrastructure and connect them to our systems. As the whole outbreak went through the Hume region, we received a call at 4 pm that the testing sites need to be running from 9 am the following day,” he explained.

“The team works in collaboration with Capital, Engineering and with the rest of our colleagues, who have stepped up to keep the frontline going. The team pick up tasks and get things done – and there is a great atmosphere in ICT. No complaining – just delivering fantastic results,” said Anthony Gust, Executive Director, Digital Health.

The expansion of services outside Northern Health premises meant the team had to quickly work through the supply chain and logistics, leverage existing partnerships with suppliers and get new computers and equipment delivered in record time.

“We have worked on setting up the Outbreak Clinics, La Trobe Clinic for Kids, and the PRACC Vaccination Hub, in partnership with Whittlesea Council. As physical distancing became mandatory, more computers were needed everywhere,” Vikramjit adds.

Besides supporting testing and immunisation clinics, the team has worked on the IT infrastructure in the new COVID-19 wards, enabling virtual communication between staff and ensuring everything works like a well-oiled machine.

“The clinicians are doing an amazing job, and we are here to support them. They are the ones who help us do our job, as we are working off their energy to deliver the best we can. The clinicians are going above and beyond, and we are assisting the best we can, so our community is looked after,” Vikramjit explained.

While the COVID-related tasks had priority, the team worked in parallel to deliver major projects.

“Work on the major organisational projects hasn’t stopped – we now have a new Data Centre, Follow ME desktops have been upgraded and around 1,400 new computers have been delivered so far. The team is also supporting the new car park development, new IPU tower, nurse communication and so many more initiatives,” Anthony added.

“The ICT team is amazing and have gone above and beyond to be of service to Northern Health and the community, and I would like to personally thank them,” he concluded.