The Australian Medical Association (AMA) says some Victorian hospitals are yet to complete coronavirus respiratory protection plans.

Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) requires all healthcare settings have a respiratory protection program in place by October 31, including fit-testing staff for N95 face masks, training and risk assessment.

Dr Sarah Whitelaw from AMA Victoria says staff are reporting that the plans have not been completed.

“It is disconcerting and really stressful for staff to hear public announcements that are just so far from their experience on the ground, and we have been feeding back that message really strongly,” she said.

Dr Whitelaw says some hospitals have completed their respiratory protection program, including fit testing, but several hospitals have not yet begun.

“Some hospitals haven't started,” she said.

“This is a really widespread problem, we're not talking about just one or two.

“We know that there's staff shortages, we know that there are resource limitations, so it's not about expecting the impossible, it's about saying what's going on here, why haven't we met the timelines we haven't been able to meet, and what do you need to make it happen?

“It's one thing to develop a plan and it's quite another to be able to ask clinicians and staff on the ground what do you need to make this happen, how long is it going to take, what extra resources do you need to make this happen.

“Victoria now has some of the best guidelines in the country with regards to respiratory protection programs, but that's a long way from the reality of putting those into practice.”

DHHS says efforts to audit ventilation in clinical settings have begun.