Author: despinao

30 December 2021

Further to our update that we shared on Tuesday, we have been informed that an additional three employees and a resident at Whiddon Narrabri Robert Young have tested positive to COVID-19.

Employees continue to wear full PPE and we continue to work closely with the local Public Health Unit. We are continuing to follow their advice, and continue to implement our COVID-19 response plan and Outbreak Management Plan to ensure all necessary precautionary measures are implemented.

We are also continuing to monitor any possible respiratory symptoms amongst our residents, and continue to conduct rapid antigen testing onsite.

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 keep you updated with any further information that may unfold during this situation.

30 December 2021

Further to our update that we shared on Tuesday, we have been informed that an additional three employees and a resident at Whiddon Narrabri Robert Young have tested positive to COVID-19.

We continue to work closely with the local Public Health Unit and continue to follow their advice while also implementing our COVID-19 response plan and Outbreak Management Plan to ensure all necessary precautionary measures are implemented.

Those considered contacts of the employee who tested positive, will be contacted directly.

We understand that this is a challenging time for everyone. As a result of this situation, we may see more positive test results emerge and ultimately, longer hours shown on the roster in order to keep our residents safe. We want to thank you for your ongoing commitment during this challenging time.

We will keep you updated with any further information that may unfold during this situation.

30 December 2021

We have been informed that a respite resident at Whiddon Easton Park Units – Level 3 has tested positive to COVID-19. Employees must wear full PPE, and we have also closed our care home at Whiddon Easton Park Units to visitors for now. We will allow visitors to visit a resident who is at the end of life or for essential care reasons. Families will need to speak to the Care Manager directly to gain the necessary approval to visit.

We are pleased to note that the resident who did test positive was in isolation after attending an external Christmas Day event, so we do believe the risk of transmission is low.

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 COVID-19 response plan is robust and ensures we prioritise the safety of residents and employees.

Those considered contacts of the employee who tested positive, will be contacted directly. There has been no recommendation at this stage by the PHU for employees not directly impacted to self-isolate, and as such, employees can continue to come to work and attend their normal shifts.

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

30 December 2021

We have been informed that an employee at Whiddon Hornsby has tested positive to COVID-19.

We have been working with the Public Health Unit who have deemed the exposure risk to be low due to all staff wearing N95 masks/face shields & attending rapid antigen tests while on shift. This is in line with NSW Health Risk Assessment matrix. We have also 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.

We will be monitoring this closely and at this stage, visitation remains unchanged. If you have any concerns or queries, please contact DCS Suzie Madden to discuss.

We thank you all for your patience and support during this ongoing struggle to keep our residents and staff safe.

30 December 2021

We have been informed that an employee at Whiddon Hornsby has tested positive to COVID-19.

We have been working with the Public Health Unit who have deemed the exposure risk to be low due to all staff wearing N95 masks/face shields & attending rapid antigen tests while on shift. This is in line with NSW Health Risk Assessment matrix. We have also 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.

We will be monitoring this closely and at this stage, visitation remains unchanged.

Those considered contacts of the employee who tested positive, will be contacted directly. There has been no recommendation at this stage by the PHU for employees not directly impacted to self-isolate, and as such, employees can continue to come to work and attend their normal shifts.

We also ask that you refrain from sharing anything on social media.

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.

30 December 2021

We have been informed that two residents at Whiddon Moree have shown signs of respiratory symptoms. Each resident has had a Rapid Antigen Test and these have come back negative. PCR swabs have also been taken as a precaution.

Until we receive the results of these swabs, we have closed our care home at Whiddon Moree to visitors for now. Visitors are only permitted to visit a resident who is at the end of life or an essential carer. Please speak to your loved one’s Care Manager directly to gain the necessary approval to visit.

We are contacting the local Public Health Unit to seek further advice and are putting all necessary precautionary measures into place. Our robust COVID-19 management plan means that we have strict protocols in place to avoid spread of the virus across our care homes.

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

30 December 2021

We have been informed that a resident at Whiddon Easton Park Units – Level 3 has tested positive to COVID-19. Employees are wearing full PPE and we have closed our care home at Whiddon Easton Park Units to visitors for now. Visitors are only permitted to visit a resident who is at the end of life or an essential carer. Please speak to your loved one’s Care Manager directly to gain the necessary approval to visit.

We are pleased to note that the resident who did test positive was in isolation after attending an external Christmas Day event, so we do believe the risk of transmission is low.

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 spread of the virus across our care homes.

We are also committed to keeping you up-to-date of the situation and will provide a further update once we know more. You can also find additional information in the Older Persons Advocate Network flyer should you need it.

29 December 2021

Further to our update yesterday, we have been advised that we now have two staff members test positive for COVID-19 at Sir David Martin. We have met with the local public health unit today who have advised us that we need to undertake additional testing as directed by NSW Health tomorrow and Sunday.

Our residents are also isolating until we understand whether there’s any risk of greater exposure or outbreaks occurring within our care home.

We will provide a further update once we know more, and again, thank you for your understanding during this time.

You can also find additional information in the Older Persons Advocate Network flyer should you need it.

29 December 2021

We have been informed that an employee at Whiddon Belmont has tested positive to COVID-19. Employees must wear full PPE, and we have also closed our care home at Whiddon Belmont to visitors for now. We will allow visitors to visit a resident who is at the end of life or for essential care reasons. Families will need to speak to the Care Manager directly to gain the necessary approval to visit.

We are pleased to note that all staff were wearing full PPE so currently, the risk is low.

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 COVID-19 response plan is robust and ensures we prioritise the safety of residents and employees.

Those considered contacts of the employee who tested positive, will be contacted directly. There has been no recommendation at this stage by the PHU for employees not directly impacted to self-isolate, and as such, employees can continue to come to work and attend their normal 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 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.

This is a timely reminder to all of us that COVID-19 is still very much with us. 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 5 months ago.

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

29 December 2021

We have been informed that an employee at Whiddon Belmont has tested positive to COVID-19. Employees are wearing full PPE and we have closed our care home at Whiddon Belmont to visitors for now however, visitors are only permitted to visit a resident who is at the end of life or an essential carer. Please speak to your loved one’s Care Manager directly to gain the necessary approval to visit.

We are pleased to note that all staff were wearing full PPE so currently, the risk is low.

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 spread of the virus across our care homes.

We have also been conducting rapid antigen testing onsite, to complement our strict screening processes and robust COVID-19 protocols. This will continue at this time.

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 about the situation.