Author: despinao

19 July 2022

We have been working with the local Public Health Unit and are please to share that our COVID outbreak has been declared over at Easton Park Units. Visitations will resume as normal across all our care homes at Whiddon Easton Park.

We do want to remind you to ensure your visits must are pre-booked and the following applies:

• Whiddon strongly recommend all relevant vaccinations of both COVID-19 and influenza for all visitors.
• Non-vaccinated visitors are able to visit their loved ones in an outdoor area wearing N95 masks and face shields. Non-vaccinated visitors should not enter a home unless approval is given by the DCS/DDCS Team based on individual circumstances e.g. end of life, compassionate visits, resident wellbeing.
• Visitors must wear an N95 mask, face shield and complete a rapid antigen test as a condition of entry
• Up to 2 children under 12 years are permitted to visit provided they are accompanied by a fully vaccinated person
• Wherever possible, the visit should be in resident’s room or in an outdoor area. Visits should not be in any inside communal areas
• Visitors must check-in through our visitor check-in system
• Visitors must not visit if they have COVID-19 symptoms, have been exposed to COVID-19 (unless they have completed their self-isolation and testing requirements). People who have had high risk exposures should not enter high risk settings for at least 14 days since their exposure to a COVID-positive person
• Visitors must not visit if they are waiting for a COVID-19 test result, feel unwell or have been overseas in the previous 14 days, unless they are: fully vaccinated, it has been at least 7 days after arrival and they have received a negative antigen test 6 days or later after arriving in NSW

We thank you for your patience and assistance during this time.

14 July 2022

We have had employees test positive to COVID . We believe the risk is low however, 3 residents have been deemed as close contacts and will be monitored over the next 10 days.

At this stage, there are no changes to visitations. We do want to remind you to ensure your visits must are pre-booked and the following applies:

• Visitors aged 12 years and over must have received a second dose of a COVID vaccination at least 14 days prior to their visit
• Visitors must wear an N95 mask, face shield and complete a rapid antigen test as a condition of entry
• Visitors are strongly encouraged to get a booster vaccine if they are eligible for one
• Up to 2 children under 12 years are permitted to visit provided they are accompanied by a fully vaccinated person
• Wherever possible, the visit should be in resident’s room or in an outdoor area. Visits should not be in any inside communal areas
• Visitors must check-in through our visitor check-in system
• Visitors are strongly encouraged to receive the 2022 seasonal flu vaccine as soon as it is available
• Visitors must not visit if they have COVID-19 symptoms, have been exposed to COVID-19 (unless they have completed their self-isolation and testing requirements). People who have had high risk exposures should not enter high risk settings for at least 14 days since their exposure to a COVID-positive person
• Visitors must not visit if they are waiting for a COVID-19 test result, feel unwell or have been overseas in the previous 14 days, unless they are: fully vaccinated, it has been at least 7 days after arrival and they have received a negative antigen test 6 days or later after arriving in NSW

We thank you for your patience and assistance during this time.

13 July 2022

Currently we have residents who have tested positive to COVID in John Read House. The families of residents have been notified.

Visitation is still limited to one nominated partner-in-care. Partners-in-care must book their visits prior to visiting our care home. All visitors are required to complete a rapid antigen test as a condition of entry, wear an N95 mask and may be asked to wear additional PPE at this time, such as a face shield. Please refrain from visiting if you are unwell.

Our employees also continue to be monitored daily by conducting a Rapid Antigen Testing prior to the start of their shift.

We thank you for your patience and assistance during this time and will provide a further update if anything changes.

13 July 2022

Since our last update. we are pleased to advise that the COVID-positive result we received earlier this week was a false positive. As such, visitations will resume as normal.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.

13 July 2022

Since our last update. we are pleased to advise that the Influenza A outbreak in Sir David Martin has been declared over. Visitation will resume as normal.

We continue to manage the COVID-19 outbreak at Easton Park Units and continue to work with the local Public Health Unit to manage this outbreak. For now, visitation is limited to one nominated partner-in-care across EPU. Partners-in-care must book their visits prior to visiting our care home. All visitors are required to complete a rapid antigen test as a condition of entry, wear an N95 mask and may be asked to wear additional PPE at this time such as a face shield. Please refrain from visiting if you are unwell.

Please note, this does not impact Whiddon Easton Park – Arthur Webb Court or Taylor House.

We will provide a further update if anything changes.

13 July 2022

We have been working with the local Public Health Unit and are please to share that our COVID outbreak has been declared over.

Visitations may resume as normal. We do want to remind you to ensure your visits must are pre-booked and the following applies:

• Visitors aged 12 years and over must have received a second dose of a COVID vaccination at least 14 days prior to their visit
• Visitors must wear an N95 mask, face shield and complete a rapid antigen test as a condition of entry
• Visitors are strongly encouraged to get a booster vaccine if they are eligible for one
• Up to 2 children under 12 years are permitted to visit provided they are accompanied by a fully vaccinated person
• Wherever possible, the visit should be in resident’s room or in an outdoor area. Visits should not be in any inside communal areas
• Visitors must check-in through our visitor check-in system
• Visitors are strongly encouraged to receive the 2022 seasonal flu vaccine as soon as it is available
• Visitors must not visit if they have COVID-19 symptoms, have been exposed to COVID-19 (unless they have completed their self-isolation and testing requirements). People who have had high risk exposures should not enter high risk settings for at least 14 days since their exposure to a COVID-positive person
• Visitors must not visit if they are waiting for a COVID-19 test result, feel unwell or have been overseas in the previous 14 days, unless they are: fully vaccinated, it has been at least 7 days after arrival and they have received a negative antigen test 6 days or later after arriving in NSW

We thank you for your patience and assistance during this time.

13 July 2022

Currently we have 4 residents and 1 employee who have tested positive to COVID. The residents and employees are experiencing mild or no symptoms and are completing their 10 day room isolation. All other residents are free to move throughout their own areas at present.

Visitation is still limited to one nominated partner-in-care. Partners-in-care must book their visits prior to visiting our care home. All visitors are required to complete a rapid antigen test as a condition of entry, wear an N95 mask and may be asked to wear additional PPE at this time, such as a face shield. Please refrain from visiting if you are unwell.

Our employees also continue to be monitored daily by conducting a Rapid Antigen Testing prior to the start of their shift.

We thank you for your patience and assistance during this time and will provide a further update if anything changes.

11 July 2022 

We continue to have residents test positive to COVID-19 at Whiddon Moree.  We are currently working with the Public Health Unit to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our residents and staff and are following their advice to manage this outbreak.

For now, visitation  is limited to one nominated partner-in-care. Partners-in-care may be asked to wear additional PPE at this time such as a face shield. Please refrain from visiting if you are unwell.

We want to also remind you that all visits must be pre-booked. All visitors are required to complete a rapid antigen test as a condition of entry and wear an N95 mask.

Today we have welcomed the support of an additional Clinical Manager – Raelene Phillips who will be supporting the team over the next 4 weeks.

We will provide a further update if anything changes.

11 July 2022

We have had a resident test positive to COVID in our Hostel. The family of this resident have been notified of this, and we are conducting Rapid Antigen Tests of all other residents.

At this stage, there are no changes to visitations. We do want to remind you to ensure your visits must are pre-booked and the following applies:

• Visitors aged 12 years and over must have received a second dose of a COVID vaccination at least 14 days prior to their visit
• Visitors must wear an N95 mask, face shield and complete a rapid antigen test as a condition of entry
• Visitors are strongly encouraged to get a booster vaccine if they are eligible for one
• Up to 2 children under 12 years are permitted to visit provided they are accompanied by a fully vaccinated person
• Wherever possible, the visit should be in resident’s room or in an outdoor area. Visits should not be in any inside communal areas
• Visitors must check-in through our visitor check-in system
• Visitors are strongly encouraged to receive the 2022 seasonal flu vaccine as soon as it is available
• Visitors must not visit if they have COVID-19 symptoms, have been exposed to COVID-19 (unless they have completed their self-isolation and testing requirements). People who have had high risk exposures should not enter high risk settings for at least 14 days since their exposure to a COVID-positive person
• Visitors must not visit if they are waiting for a COVID-19 test result, feel unwell or have been overseas in the previous 14 days, unless they are: fully vaccinated, it has been at least 7 days after arrival and they have received a negative antigen test 6 days or later after arriving in NSW

We thank you for your patience and assistance during this time. We will provide a further update if anything changes.

11 July 2022

Since our last update, we have had 7 residents and 17 employees test positive to COVID-19.  We continue to work with the Public Health Unit to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our residents and staff. We are also conducting another round of PCR tests today.

We continue to implement our COVID Outbreak protocols amongst staff, including Rapid Antigen Tests conducted prior to their shift commencing and PPE being worn at all times.

Visitations remain to one visitor per resident at this time (for compassionate or essential visits only). These visits must be pre-booked and visitors are required to undertake rapid antigen testing as a condition of entry and will be asked to wear an N95 mask and face shield, which will be provided upon entry to the home.

We thank you for your ongoing understanding as we work hard to manage this situation. We will provide a further update if anything changes.