Calvary St Martin de Porres outbreak declared over

Date: 20 January 2022

To: All Staff – Calvary St Martin de Porres

From:  Bryan McLoughlin, Regional CEO – NSW & QLD

Following advice from the Hunter New England Public Health Unit, we are very pleased to let you know that the outbreak at Calvary St Martin de Porres has been declared over.

The home will re-open to a limited number of visitors from tomorrow, Friday, 21 January 2022.

The last of the restrictions on residents have been lifted and residents can move freely within the home. They no longer have to remain within their own household but can visit and mingle freely with residents of other wings. Communal dining and activities are resuming but will continue to be held in a COVID-safe manner.

Important information

A number of changes will be in place when Calvary St Martin’s re-opens from tomorrow.

• In line with Calvary’s recent national visitor update of 29 December 2021, and due to the continuing heightened risk of infection, only one nominated visitor per resident will be permitted. This will be in place until further notice. Each family should nominate the visitor and notify the home manager. The visitor is strongly encouraged to have obtained a booster vaccine if they are eligible.

• Visitor entry to the home is between 11am and 3.30pm. If visitors need to attend outside these hours, they will need to book ahead of time (see below). Once in the home, visitors may stay longer.

• All visitors will need to undertake a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) before entering. Staff will administer the test and visitors should expect a small delay before they are able to enter the home. We are asking visitors to please be patient as we move through this important screening process.
• The screening tests will only be done up until 3.30pm each day, so visitors will need to arrive by then. We understand that there may sometimes need to be exceptions, and visitors will need to make prior arrangements with the home manager.
• Visitation exceptions may be made for residents receiving end of life care, or for compassionate visits. This should be arranged with the home manager.
• At present, resident outings will be limited to medical appointments only.

As a precaution, staff need to continue to closely monitor all residents for symptoms of COVID-19.

Thank you for all that you have done to ensure our residents continued to receive the safest possible care, with such empathy and compassion during this very challenging time.