Author: Belinda Howell

20 August 2021

Dear Team,

I wanted to touch base with you and firstly thank you all for all that you are doing in terms of keeping the site safe and all of the extra work that you are doing surrounding the Rapid Antigen Testing. The success of this and keeping COVID-19 from the site is down to all of your hard work and I thank you for everything that you do to keep residents and staff safe.

That being said, it has come to my attention that at another provider, a staff member has tested positive for COVID and has then worked in that facility whilst infectious. The service does offer Rapid Antigen Testing, however it has become apparent that the process for testing was not followed, which in turn has allowed the virus to enter into the service.

As a reminder, please ensure the following:

1. Staff are observed at all times during the process
2. Staff must wait the appropriate time for the test result before entering the building (this is a minimum of 10 minutes and a maximum of 15 minutes)
3. Sufficient fluid is added to the test strip so that the entire test panel is wet
4. The Control Line is evident on the test
5. The test result is sighted by the Registered Nurse prior to the staff entering the building
6. Good lighting is available so that you are able to see the control and test lines easily
7. Testing is voluntary, however staff must present to the testing station and complete the decline to test form if the refuse to be tested. Please note that this part is compulsory
8. As a refresher please read through the flow charts that are at each testing station around the process should a staff member test positive.

One again, thank you for your hard work during these difficult times. I hope that you and your families all remain safe.

Thank you

Sharon Fletcher
Operations Manager
Whiddon Easton Park

18 August 2021

Rapid antigen testing to be introduced at Whiddon Mudgee

We are pleased to advise that rapid antigen testing will be offered to all Whiddon Mudgee employees, commencing in next few days, as an additional layer of protection for residents and employees during the evolving COVID-19 situation in NSW.

What are rapid antigen tests and how do they work?

Rapid antigen tests are on-the-spot tests that deliver a result in as little as ten minutes. They are approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, and under supervision of a registered nurse, employees are trained to administer the tests themselves.

Research has shown that the frequency of the testing is the most important factor in controlling the spread of infection.

The rapid antigen tests are not as invasive as the PCR tests that you may have already had at one of the NSW testing clinics, although they do require a nasal swab.

Do I have to have a rapid antigen test?

The test is not compulsory, however we strongly encourage you to have a test as it’s so important that we are all doing everything we can to make sure that no one is unwillingly bringing the virus into our home. The uptake of the tests by employees at Whiddon Easton Park during the trial we conducted was extremely high.

Thank you so much for everything that you are doing. We can’t do it with you and we want you to know we are genuinely working very hard behind the scenes to do the very best we can to support you.

18 August 2021

Rapid antigen testing to be introduced at Whiddon Mudgee

We are pleased to advise that rapid antigen testing will be offered to all Whiddon Mudgee employees, commencing in next few days, to further protect residents and employees during the evolving COVID-19 situation in NSW.

What are rapid antigen tests and how do they work?

Rapid antigen tests are on-the-spot tests that deliver a result in as little as ten minutes. They are approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, and under supervision of a registered nurse, employees are trained to administer the tests themselves. Should a positive result be detected, the employee must then take a standard diagnostic test in line with Government advice.

Research has shown that the frequency of the testing is the most important factor in controlling the spread of infection. Employees will be encouraged to test every day to begin with and then every other day following that, while community transmission remains high.

Has Whiddon used rapid antigen testing before?

Whiddon proudly introduced rapid antigen testing as an industry-leading two-week trial in July, at Whiddon Easton Park in Glenfield. Since then, testing has been extended at Whiddon Easton Park as community transmission remains high and has now been rolled out at a number of Whiddon’s care homes including in Hornsby, Belmont, Largs and Redhead.

The results from the trial showed that employees, residents and families overwhelmingly indicated that rapid antigen testing gave them confidence that employees and residents weren’t at risk.

Whiddon is pleased to see that the Government has announced a program to roll out rapid antigen testing.

COVID-19 Vaccinations

16 August 2021

Dear Team,

As you may already be aware, the Federal Government has mandated Covid-19 Vaccination for all residential aged care employees. That is, by 17 September, staff must have had at least their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination.

According to our records, you are yet to have first your dose of the vaccine. You will need to ensure that you have had a first dose and provide us with evidence of the vaccination prior to 17 September. If you have not done so you will not be able to work following this date.

For pregnant staff, please contact your Manager as a matter of urgency to discuss this and to have the necessary exemption paper work submitted prior to the date.

If you have had the vaccine and are receiving this message, we currently do not have a record of this on file for you. Please forward your evidence of vaccination as a matter of urgency to EP.Vaccinations@whiddon.com.au

Your vaccination records can be downloaded from the Immunisation Register through Medicare.

Thank you

Sharon Fletcher
Operations Manager Easton Park

12 August 2021

Due to a COVID-19 alert and lockdown of some areas in western NSW, out of an abundance of caution, only window visits will be permitted at Whiddon Walgett for now, until we know more about the unfolding situation.

This means that visitors are not permitted inside the care home for now. If you do need to visit under exceptional circumstances, please speak to the Director Care Services or Registered Nurse.

Window visits will need to be pre-booked and we do ask that you refrain from attending window visits if you are unwell or have been to any COVID-19 hot spots or venues of concern.

We understand that this is a difficult time. Our teams will be working hard to keep you connected to your loved one via phone and video calls.

We will provide a further update once we know more.

12 August 2021

Due to a COVID-19 alert and lockdown of some areas in western NSW, out of an abundance of caution, only window visits will be permitted at Whiddon Bourke for now, until we know more about the unfolding situation.

This means that visitors are not permitted inside the care home for now. If you do need to visit under exceptional circumstances, please speak to the Director Care Services or Registered Nurse.

Window visits will need to be pre-booked and we do ask that you refrain from attending window visits if you are unwell or have been to any COVID-19 hot spots or venues of concern.

We understand that this is a difficult time. Our teams will be working hard to keep you connected to your loved one via phone and video calls.

We will provide a further update once we know more.

12 August 2021

Due to a COVID-19 alert and lockdown of some areas in Western NSW, out of an abundance of caution, only window visits will be permitted at Whiddon Wee Waa for now, until we know more about the unfolding situation.

This means that visitors are not permitted inside the care home for now. If you do need to visit under exceptional circumstances, please speak to the Director Care Services.

Window visits will need to be pre-booked and we do ask that you refrain from attending window visits if you are unwell or have been to any COVID-19 hot spots or venues of concern.

We understand that this is a difficult time. Our teams will be working hard to keep you connected to your loved one via phone and video calls.

We will provide a further update once we know more.

10 August 2021

Due to concerns around the identification of a COVID-19 positive case in the Northern Rivers region, out of an abundance of precaution, only window visits will be permitted at Whiddon Grafton for now, until we know more about the unfolding situation. This means that visitors are not permitted inside the care home for now. If you do need to visit under exceptional circumstances, please speak to the Director Care Services.

Window visits will need to be pre-booked and we do ask that you refrain from attending window visits if you are unwell or have been to any COVID-19 hot spots or venues of concern.

We understand that this is a difficult time. Our teams will be working hard to keep you connected to your loved one via phone and video calls.

We will provide a further update once we know more.

10 August 2021

Due to concerns around the identification of a COVID-19 positive case in the Northern Rivers region, out of an abundance of precaution, only window visits will be permitted at Whiddon Maclean for now, until we know more about the unfolding situation. This means that visitors are not permitted inside the care home for now. If you do need to visit under exceptional circumstances, please speak to the Director Care Services.

Window visits will need to be pre-booked and we do ask that you refrain from attending window visits if you are unwell or have been to any COVID-19 hot spots or venues of concern.

We understand that this is a difficult time. Our teams will be working hard to keep you connected to your loved one via phone and video calls.

We will provide a further update once we know more.

10 August 2021

Further to our update yesterday, please note that we have since received advice from NSW Health that as we are located in the Richmond Valley local government area (which has seen new restrictions), we must exclude visitors to Whiddon Casino for now, unless they are providing essential caring functions or end of life visits. Such visits will need to be approved by the Director Care Services. Please note that this new advice also means that we can no longer offer window visits for now.

We understand that this is a difficult time and our team are committed to helping you to stay connected to your loved ones via phone and video calls wherever possible.

We will provide a further update once we know more about the situation.