Hand sanitiser saviours

How a Facebook group helped solve a national shortage

After having difficulty sourcing hand sanitiser for her practice, Anna Davidson, Practice Manager at Nelson Plaza Clinic in Nelson Bay, NSW, wondered how many others were facing similar issues. The desperate shortage of hand sanitiser meant some practices had already run out, and as product that was manufactured to the general practice required standard was in such short supply, Anna set a plan into motion.

This story started in mid-March with Anna’s posts in the ‘Practice Managers Network’ Facebook group, comprising 4500+ mostly Australian general practice staff. Just one month later, Anna – along with Riwka Hagen, who runs the Facebook group, and Matt Gilchrist, a frequent group collaborator – were the force behind more than 5000 units of 5L hand sanitiser bottles being distributed to practices across Australia during the first wave of the pandemic.

"The demand was overwhelming, from nurses, doctors, specialists – I had an oncologist email me desperate for hand sanitiser to maintain hygiene while treating patients with cancer," Anna told the ABC1 .

Anna, Matt and Riwka worked tirelessly to establish and secure a pipeline for the manufacture and supply of hand sanitiser for health organisations in Australia.

The group, now called Hand Sanitiser Project Australia, teamed up with Mera Chemicals and WaterTest Systems, together with Manildra Group, to supply and distribute the hand sanitiser. It is estimated Mera Chemicals spent more than $650,000 to make the hundreds of thousands of litres of sanitiser for the Practice Managers Network.

The story was picked up by many media outlets, including Crikey and the ABC. Practice managers like Trish Cuthbert, from Granite Belt Medical Services in Stanthorpe, Queensland quoted that their surgery would have been one of many that may have had to close had it not been for the efforts of Anna, Riwka and Matt.

"If it wasn't for our three guardian angels, thousands of surgeries throughout Australia would have had no access to hand sanitiser…" she said1 .

The Crikey article questioned why improvisation was the latest medical skill general practice staff are having to learn, noting the now Acting Chief Medical Officer, Paul Kelly, praised the ingenuity of a GP who was improvising PPE with swimmers’ face masks and snorkels. Crikey noted that improvisation was on an industrial scale with the Hand Sanitiser Project Australia Team.

Did you know?

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, on 28 March 2020, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) excluded specified hand sanitisers from TGA regulation, provided they only contain particular ingredients in specific quantities in the final formulation and comply with certain manufacturing, advertising and labelling conditions. Under the Therapeutic Goods (Excluded Goods —Hand Sanitisers) Determination 2020, hand sanitiser products that meet the requirements specified in the Exclusion Determination are not subject to therapeutic goods legislation and do not need to be included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. However, these products will continue to be regulated as consumer goods under Australian Consumer Law.

The AGPAL Team would like to thank Anna, Riwka and Matt for coming together in a time of need to organise the production and distribution of the much-needed hand sanitiser for general practices right around the country. Your dedication to the industry is incredible.

This hand sanitiser is now available for purchase by medical centres, specialists, allied health, aged care, pharmacy, hospitals, schools, child care centres, remote mining sites, transport organisations, vital industry and disadvantaged communities from: www.watertestsystems.com.au/ hand-sanitiser

Not part of the Practice Managers Network Facebook group yet? Jump in at: www.facebook.com/groups/

PracticeManagersNetwork/ Hand sanitiser produced for therapeutic use, suitable for medical and health services must contain at least 80% ethanol or 75% pharmacy grade isopropyl alcohol and neither can include colours, fragrances or emollients.

In response to feedback and concerns raised with the TGA by members of the public, businesses and industry representatives, the Exclusion Determination was amended on 6 May to clarify ingredient, labelling and presentation requirements.

Find out more at www.tga.gov.au/hand-sanitisersinformation-manufacturers-suppliersand-advertisers