Staff profile - Brendan Mann

Brendan Mann from HealthShare, has the challenging role of managing the transportation of symptomatic passengers from Sydney's International Airport to health/quarantine hotels. Read all about his important work.

In non-pandemic times, what is your role in NSW Health?

I'm the Customer Experience Manager, for HealthShare NSW Patient Transport Service. I am responsible for leading the HealthShare NSW Customer Service Strategy to enhance the patient and customer experience.

What are you doing now as part of the COVID-19 response?

Since COVID-19 started, my role has expanded. I remember getting a call from my director at 7pm on a Friday night before the Airport response kicked-off on Sunday. The Patient Transport Service was going to be responsible for transporting symptomatic passengers from Sydney's International Airport to a health/quarantine hotel. The team and I had 24 hours to pull together a plan on how to make this happen, along with organising resources and staff.

HealthShare NSW's involvement in the quarantine process was part of a multi-agency response including Police, Sydney Local Health District, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Border Force and others.

Have you been involved in anything like this before?

Never.

What's your biggest learning to date?

It's been eye-opening to see the enormity of the pandemic response and the role that NSW Health plays.  So many people are working behind the scenes who are committed to ensuring we all get through this.

It can be quite confronting for people who are coming though the Airport screening. Quite a few people are returning home to Australia and some because a relative is unwell or has passed away. Many people who are in a vulnerable situation, and we have a role to play to ensure we show them empathy.

You have good insights into what's happening with the pandemic. What do you tell family and friends when they ask?

A few of my friends and family have struggled with the pandemic situation; some who would normally never show emotion but find this whole situation really confronting and mentally challenging.

The concept of looking after your mental health is really important. I'm no expert in that, but it's a challenging time for a lot of people, everyone is going tough their own struggles – financial, working from home, or loneliness. We each have a role to play in reaching out to people you haven't heard from in a while, and checking in on them. A phone call means the world and is a small thing we can all do in this challenging time.

What's your message to colleagues across the system?

We need to keep fighting the good fight. We need everyone to do their part, however big or small, and keep doing our bit in order to get through this. Thank you to everyone. 

How do you unwind if you get a spare moment?

There have been some really long hours but I try to keep my fitness up, and I go for long runs to clear my head. I try to separate work from home and get out to clear my head – it's also helped to get rid of some of the COVID-kilos. I also try to keep the connection with friends and family.