Author: despinao

26 April 2022

We are pleased to advise that the current COVID outbreak at Whiddon Moree has concluded.

Residents are now able to de-isolate from their rooms and move freely around the care home. We will also continue to monitor all residents daily.

Visitors are free to visit their loved ones, however, as advised by the Public Health unit, will be required to complete screening and a rapid antigen test prior to entry to the home, as well as wear full PPE.

We thank you for your ongoing care and assistance in helping to limit the impact of this recent outbreak.

10 February 2022

We have been advised that another staff member has tested positive to a Rapid Antigen Test. All residents have continued to test negative to COVID-19.

Based on the advice of the local Public Health Unit, visitation does remain limited to compassionate grounds or for essential caring only. Please speak to the Director Care Services directly to gain the necessary approval to visit.

Our team is committed to keeping you connected with your loved ones wherever possible, via video and phone calls at this time. If you would like to book in a phone or video call with your loved one, please speak to our team.

We will provide a further update to you soon and we thank you for your continued patience, understanding and support.

14 January 2022

We have been notified that an employee at Whiddon Casino has returned a positive PCR test today. Employees are wearing full PPE, and we have closed Whiddon Casino to visitors for now, including visits booked this weekend. Only visits for essential caring or on compassionate grounds will be permitted, and residents are strongly encouraged to not leave the care home for now.

We are working closely with the local Public Health Unit and following their advice, and have activated our COVID-19 response plan to ensure all necessary precautionary measures are implemented. Our robust COVID-19 management plan means that we have strict protocols in place to avoid potential spread of the virus across our care homes.

Those considered contacts of the employee who tested positive, will be contacted directly. We understand that this is a challenging time for everyone, but we want you to know that it is our highest priority to keep everyone in our family safe and well, and we are doing everything we can to achieve this.

Employees must wear N95 masks, face shields and gloves, and full PPE, and social distancing must be observed at all times, including the staff room and nurses station.

We ask that if you have any concerns to please speak to your manager in the first instance. Please also remember our confidential EAP service contactable 24/7 on 1800 818 728.

We encourage you to have your Booster shot and send evidence of your vaccination to payroll@whiddon.com.au at your earliest convenience. Eligibility for booster shots are for those that have had their second dose at least 4 months ago.

Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication.

14 January 2022

We have been notified that an employee at Whiddon Casino has returned a positive PCR test today. Employees are wearing full PPE, and we have closed Whiddon Casino to visitors for now. Unfortunately, this does mean that all weekend visits are also cancelled. Only visits for essential caring or on compassionate grounds will be permitted, and residents are strongly encouraged to not leave the care home for now.

We are working closely with the local Public Health Unit and following their advice, and have activated our COVID-19 response plan to ensure all necessary precautionary measures are implemented. Our robust COVID-19 management plan means that we have strict protocols in place to avoid potential spread of the virus across our care homes.

Those considered contacts of the employee who tested positive, will be contacted directly. We understand that this is a challenging time for everyone, but we want you to know that it is our highest priority to keep everyone in our family safe and well, and we are doing everything we can to achieve this.

We are also committed to keeping you up-to-date of the situation and will provide a further update once we know more.

We thank you for your understanding and support.

14 January 2022

We wanted to send you another update as a reminder of the current COVID-19 situation at Whiddon Redhead.

As mentioned on Tuesday this week, a resident at Whiddon Redhead (Keppel House) tested positive to COVID-19. Based on the advice of the local public health unit, we are restricting visitors to Keppel House for now. Please note that this does not impact the visitation arrangements currently in place at John Read House.

For families wanting to visit their loved one in John Read House, please ensure you have pre-booked your visit.

On the advice of the public health unit, residents at Keppel House will need to stay in their rooms for now, as a precaution. Only visits on compassionate grounds will be permitted on approval, and residents are strongly encouraged to not leave the care home for now.

We are working closely with the local Public Health Unit and following their advice, and as mentioned previously, we have activated our COVID-19 response plan to ensure all necessary precautionary measures are implemented. Our robust COVID-19 management plan means that we have strict protocols in place to avoid spread of the virus across our care homes. Employees across the Redhead campus continue to wear appropriate PPE and complete a rapid antigen test when they commence their shifts.

We understand that this is a challenging time for everyone, but we want you to know that it is our highest priority to keep everyone in our family safe and well, and we are doing everything we can to achieve this.

We will provide a further update to you next week.

14 January 2021

We wanted to give you an update regarding the current COVID-19 situation at Whiddon Easton Park.

As you are aware, there are a number of residents that have tested positive to COVID-19 at Easton Park. Since our last update we can confirm:-

Arthur Webb Court

No residents have tested positive to COVID-19. Residents are free to wander around the building. However should not mix with other floors in AWC.

Easton Park Units

Residents remain isolated in their rooms after receiving a positive test result from a resident.

Staff should remain in full PPE at all times

Sir David Martin

Residents in T1 and LL1 remain isolated in their rooms after receiving a positive test result from a resident.

Staff should remain in full PPE at all times

Taylor House

Taylor House residents are no longer required to isolate in their rooms, however they should not cross over into other areas.

Staff should remain in Full PPE at all times

Staff must continue to conduct Rapid Antigen Tests prior to entry to each building. If a staff tests positive, they must not enter the building, rather they are to wait outside put on a N95 Mask while contacting their manager.

Staff must not remove rapid antigen tests from site for any reason.

We know that this is very hot and uncomfortable for all staff wearing PPE and we are incredibly grateful to all staff for working despite these conditions.

To make things a little more comfortable, if staff would prefer to wear a t-shirt and shorts under their PPE instead of uniform. If you do choose to wear something cooler, please ensure that shorts are knee length and that any t-shirts do not have offensive slogans on them.

14 January 2022

Since our last update to you, we are pleased to let you know that our Residents from Taylor House who had tested positive to COVID-19 have now recovered. There are currently no residents in either Taylor House or Arthur Webb Court with COVID-19.

Unfortunately, in Easton Park Units and Sir David Martin a further three residents have tested positive to COVID-19. Families of these residents have all been made aware of the situation. Pleasingly, other residents in these areas that were positive COVID-19 have since recovered.

As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in our community, we continue to follow the advise of our local public health unit and restrict visitations for now. Only visits for essential caring or on compassionate grounds will be permitted on approval, and residents are strongly encouraged to not leave the care home for now. We hope to be in the position to be able to welcome back visitors very soon to AWC and Taylor House early next week. We will provide details about this on Monday.

As previously mentioned, we have activated our COVID-19 response plan to ensure all necessary precautionary measures are implemented and our employees continue to wear full PPE. We have also continued to conduct rapid antigen testing onsite, to complement our strict screening processes and robust COVID-19 protocols.

We want to thank you all for your patience and understanding during this time. We know this has been difficult and we want to ensure you that our teams are doing everything they can to keep your loved ones safe and happy. Our teams will continue to work hard to facilitate phone and video calls where they can, as we know how important it is for residents to stay connected with you.

We will provide you with a further update early next week.

13 January 2022

We wanted to send a quick reminder regarding our visitation policy. Please see below:

• Visitations will be limited to weekdays only and must be pre-booked
• Residents are permitted to have two fully vaccinated visitor aged 12 years and over only, per day
• Visitors must have received a second dose of a COVID vaccination at least 14 days prior to their visit
• Visits must not take place in communal areas and wherever possible, visits should occur in an outdoor area
• All visitors must wear a mask and may also be given a face shield when visiting
• Visitors will be asked to complete a rapid antigen test as a condition of entry. Please ensure you arrive 15 minutes before your booking time
• Unvaccinated visitors are only permitted to visit a resident who is at the end of life. Please speak to your loved one’s Care Manager directly to gain the necessary approval to visit

Please ensure that you:

• pre-book your visits. Please note that the number of visitors allowed at any one time may be restricted to enable management of capacity limits
• refrain from visiting if you have COVID-19 symptoms
• refrain from visiting if you are a close or casual contact of a person with confirmed COVID-19, unless they have completed their isolation and testing requirements. Close contacts should not enter high risk settings for at least 14 days since their exposure to a COVID-positive person
• do not visit if you have been overseas in the previous 14 days, unless you are fully vaccinated and have received a negative PCR test 7 days or later after arrival in NSW
• refrain from visiting if you are waiting for a COVID-19 test result
• practice good hand hygiene and socially distance
• check in to the Service NSW app AND Whiddon’s check-in system when you visit

We thank you for your understanding an support at this time.

13 January 2022

Further to our last update to you, pleasingly, the local Public Health Unit have advised that the outbreak at Whiddon Narrabri – Robert Young is over, and we can once again welcome back visitors from Tuesday. Our final PCR swabs came back negative. While we’re pleased with this information, we do have 4x employees still isolating with COVID-19. A big thank you for the fantastic job you’ve each done in dealing with the outbreak and keeping our residents safe. We appreciate your support during this time.

We ask that you keep the following in mind:

• Continue to wear your N95 masks and face shields, and follow the green PPE signage guidelines
• Rapid Antigen Testing will continue to be required every day
• Meals, tea breaks and handovers will continue in the wing you are located. Reminder that breaks are to be staggered and socially distanced where possible
• Kitchen access remains restricted to kitchen staff only. Our care team will provide meals to residents in their dining halls
• Residents will remain in their respective wings
• Visits will recommence from Tuesday and outings are discouraged. Please refer to the Registered Nurse on duty if a resident requests to go out

As we prepare to welcome visitors back into our care home, please see our guidelines for visiting at this time:

• Visitations will be limited between 10am to 2pm and these must be pre-booked
• Residents are permitted to have two fully vaccinated visitor aged 12 years and over only, per day
• Visitors must have received a second dose of a COVID vaccination at least 14 days prior to their visit
• Visits must not take place in communal areas and wherever possible, visits should occur in an outdoor area
• All visitors must wear a N95 mask and may also be given a face shield when visiting
• Visitors will be asked to complete a rapid antigen test as a condition of entry. Please ensure you arrive 15 minutes before your booking time
• Unvaccinated visitors are only permitted to visit a resident who is at the end of life. Please speak to your loved one’s Care Manager directly to gain the necessary approval to visit
• We do encourage any external visits to be discouraged for now. However, a risk assessment will be undertaken if this has been discussed with your loved one’s Care Manager. Please note, if a resident does leave our care home for the day, screening will occur upon return with Rapid Antigen Testing and isolation required

We thank you for your understanding an support at this time.

13 January 2022

Further to our last update to you, pleasingly, the local Public Health Unit have advised that the outbreak at Whiddon Narrabri – Robert Young is over, and we can once again welcome back visitors from Tuesday. Our final PCR swabs came back negative. While we’re pleased with this information, we do have 4x employees still isolating with COVID-19. Our team have done a fantastic job in dealing with the outbreak, and we appreciate your support during this time.

As we prepare to welcome visitors back into our care home, please see our guidelines for visiting at this time:

• Visitations will be limited between 10am to 2pm and these must be pre-booked
• Residents are permitted to have two fully vaccinated visitor aged 12 years and over only, per day
• Visitors must have received a second dose of a COVID vaccination at least 14 days prior to their visit
• Visits must not take place in communal areas and wherever possible, visits should occur in an outdoor area
• All visitors must wear a N95 mask and may also be given a face shield when visiting
• Visitors will be asked to complete a rapid antigen test as a condition of entry. Please ensure you arrive 15 minutes before your booking time
• Unvaccinated visitors are only permitted to visit a resident who is at the end of life. Please speak to your loved one’s Care Manager directly to gain the necessary approval to visit
• We do encourage any external visits to be discouraged for now. However, a risk assessment will be undertaken if this has been discussed with your loved one’s Care Manager. Please note, if a resident does leave our care home for the day, screening will occur upon return with Rapid Antigen Testing requirements and isolation may be required

Please ensure that you:

• pre-book your visits. Please note that the number of visitors allowed at any one time may be restricted to enable management of capacity limits
• refrain from visiting if you have COVID-19 symptoms
• refrain from visiting if you are a close or casual contact of a person with confirmed COVID-19, unless they have completed their isolation and testing requirements. Close contacts should not enter high risk settings for at least 14 days since their exposure to a COVID-positive person
• do not visit if you have been overseas in the previous 14 days, unless you are fully vaccinated and have received a negative PCR test 7 days or later after arrival in NSW
• refrain from visiting if you are waiting for a COVID-19 test result
• practice good hand hygiene and socially distance
• check in to the Service NSW app AND Whiddon’s check-in system when you visit

We thank you for your understanding an support at this time.