Author: micheller

Dear Families and Friends,

Please be advised that we have had some Residents and Staff test positive for COVID-19 today 26/12/22 and as such, Whiddon Casino now meets the definition for a COVID 19 Outbreak.

We are hopeful this will only be for the minimum time indicated which is 7 days from now, however, residents who have tested positive or have mild symptoms and have been placed into isolation with full precautions.

Please note, visiting residents can continue under these guidelines:

• Please refrain from visiting unless necessary
• All visits need to be booked prior to arrival
• Visits of maximum of 2 people to the residents’ room or external garden
• Negative RAT prior to entry
• Screening Questions completed prior to entry
• Facemask and Face Shield to be worn at all times when inside the home including the residents’ room.

Please be mindful of the additional requirements on the staff during an Outbreak and be patient during this time, especially on days when there is limited administration support at the front door.

Further update will be issued towards the end of the week.

The Whiddon Team

Please be advised that we are currently experiencing problems with our telephone system at Whiddon Kelso. Staff are able to answer incoming calls from one phone and we have someone dedicated to this when possible. However, our ability to transfer calls to other phones is not working.

Our IT Team are investigating this issue and we will keep you updated. We sincerely apologise for the timing of this issue and thank you for your support and understanding.

The Whiddon Team

Dear Families

Please be aware that 2 residents in Keppel House have returned positive Rapid Antigen Tests this morning.

Merewether East Wing is now declared a Red Zone with all residents in this wing having precautionary PCR testing today.

The Public Health Unit will be notified and  “exposure” protocols for the Home have commenced.

Residents in Merewether East are confined to the Red Zone with 1 partner in care encouraged to visit. In- room isolation is not required for negative tested residents.

All visitors to the top floor of Keppel House are required to wear full PPE / Face Shield and N95 masks.

We thank you for your understanding and patience at this time.

The Whiddon Team

Dear Families

Further to our last update, all residents remain at Whiddon Moree and are safe and well.

Currently, our phone line is down and we are working with Telstra to resolve the issue.

If you do need to urgently contact the site today, you can call our Regional General Manager, Sally Renshaw, on 0436 659 935. From tomorrow, you can call 1300 738 388.

We will continue to keep you updated as the situation evolves.

The Whiddon Team

A Message to Whiddon kyogle Families
from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

Quality Assessors from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission are visiting today.

We would like to hear from you.

We will be checking on the standard of care and services provided to you.

If you (or someone who represents you) would like to speak with us either at the service or by phone during our visit, please let the staff know so they can arrange for you to meet with us.

Otherwise:

• you can contact us at the Commission directly on 1800 951 822, select option 2.
• provide feedback about your experience of the quality and safety provided to you via an online survey at https://www.agedcarequality.gov.au/consumer-feedback.
  To open the survey, use code 0097.

If you need Interpreter assistance, please call Translating and Interpreter Service (TIS) on 131 450 and ask for Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

For more information you can visit our website at:
www.agedcarequality.gov.au

Click here to download this information.

At Whiddon, we continue to review our COVID Guidelines to ensure we remain up-to-date with current government requirements, ensure the safety of our residents and staff, as well as provide a warm and welcoming environment for our families and visitors.

Please see below our latest guidelines. These guidelines will remain in place during normal operating conditions.

In the event of a COVID outbreak or exposure, changes to visitation may occur, including the requirement to pre-book visits, limit visitor numbers or wear protective equipment.

Standard Visitor Guidelines

• Visitor screening requirements remain in place, however given the current environment, we will now move to a self-screening process
• Visitors are required to complete a Rapid Antigen Test and return a negative result prior to entry into the home – this testing no longer needs to be supervised by employees however assistance will be provided if required
• Daily visitors are permitted to test second daily, with prior approval from the local management team
• Visitors must still register their visit through our Rapid Global electronic visitor registration system
• Surgical masks must be worn for the duration of the visit. The masks MUST cover both the nose and mouth.
• Visitors must not enter our care homes if they have any COVID-like symptoms
• Visitors cannot enter a care home if they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 10 days and until they are symptom-free
• Bookings are not required for visits if the Home is not experiencing a COVID outbreak or exposure
• The current NSW Health recommendation is to limit visitors to 2 adults and 2 children per resident per 24-hour period, however, can be increased with approval from the local management team
• Where possible, visits should be held outdoors or in well-ventilated areas away from other residents. This is particularly important for gatherings of more than 2 visitors.
• As a precaution we ask that visitors maintain social distancing and limit movement around the facility to help maintain resident safety

Visitor Guidelines during COVID outbreak or exposure

In the event that there is a COVID-19 outbreak or exposure in the home, our team will contact families to update on the situation and changes to Visitor Guidelines will apply.

We take this opportunity to thank all our residents, families, and staff for your continued support.

The Whiddon Team

We are pleased to advise that the Exposure notification for Easton Park Units has been declared closed, in line with guidance from the local Public Health Unit.

There have been no further cases, and normal visitation arrangements can now be resumed.

The latest Whiddon COVID Guidelines for families can be found here: https://bit.ly/3SffKxU.

Thank you for your support.

The Whiddon Team

We are pleased to advise that the Exposure notification for Arthur Webb Court has been declared closed, in line with guidance from the Public Health Unit.

There have been no further cases, and normal visitation arrangements can now be resumed.

The latest Whiddon COVID Guidelines for families can be found here: https://bit.ly/3SffKxU.

Thank you for your support.

The Whiddon Team

We write to advise that there has been a COVID exposure at Arthur Webb Court; however pleasingly there are no further positive cases.

We are working closely with the local Public Health Unit, and can advise that the exposure will be closed off early next week.

There are no changes to current visitation arrangements.

We thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this time, and will provide further updates as the situation evolves.

The Whiddon Team

Further to the communication sent last Friday 16 September, this message is to provide you with an update on the COVID outbreak at Taylor House.

Pleasingly, there have been no further positive cases. We are continuing to work with the local Public Health Unit (PHU). At this stage, Straughen 1 remains a Red Zone, and all other areas are Green.

All staff are required to wear face shields and N95 masks when entering the building; and full PPE is required for Red Zones. 

There are no changes to the visitation arrangements communicated last week. We have included these again below for ease of reference:

VISITATIONS:

• For Residents in Straughen 1: visitations are restricted to partners in care or one nominated visitor, for compassionate and essential visits only.
• For Residents in all other areas of Taylor House Building: normal visitation arrangements apply.

Please note:

• All visits must be pre-booked
• Upon arrival, visitors will be required to complete a RAT test
• Visitors are required to wear PPE for the duration of their visit

Thank you for your ongoing support and cooperation. Further updates will be provided in due course.

The Whiddon Team