Residential Care Residents

COVID-19 update following Government announcements on 12 September 2022

This week that the Government made some significant changes to its response to the pandemic, including removing the Traffic Light framework and other changes to vaccination mandates, isolation requirements and mask guidance.

The Selwyn Foundation has reviewed its COVID-19 protocols in response to the Government changes. While we are pleased to see numbers of cases and hospitalisations reducing, we are still concerned for the welfare of all our residents, and have chosen to take a cautious approach to easing of restrictions for the next few weeks. Key decisions made following our review are:

• Please do not visit if you are unwell/symptomatic. If you feel unwell at all, please do not visit our care home, but postpone your visit until you are symptom-free.
• Please do not visit if you are COVID-19 positive or are a household contact of a positive case. While the Government has removed the requirement for household contacts to isolate, at Selwyn we have chosen to retain this requirement for the next few weeks at least, as an additional protection for our most vulnerable population and your loved one. Please do not visit our care home if you are within the seven day isolation period, having tested positive yourself, or if someone in your household has tested positive.
• All visitors are still required to have a Rapid Antigen Tet (RAT) on arrival. Please continue to have a RAT prior to visiting, even if you are taking your loved one off site. You will need to return a negative result before seeing your loved one. We will review this requirement after two weeks and will seek further guidance on this point in consultation with the Ministry of Health and the wider residential aged care sector.
• Please continue to sign in via our Visitor Management System and observe all the standard COVID hygiene precautions (ie, hand sanitising, coughing/sneezing etiquette).
• Please continue to wear an N95 mask (preferably) or a surgical mask (not a cloth one). Masks must be worn at all times within the care home, to protect our vulnerable residents. This is a compulsory requirement for the aged care sector as a whole. We also strongly encourage you to continue to wear a mask in other settings (when not eating or drinking). We can supply you with a surgical mask, if required.
• We will no longer be requesting information about the vaccination status of visitors.
• Please be considerate of our staff members who are continuing to work to ensure that any potential risk of COVID entering our care home is minimised as much as possible. Our staff will still be wearing masks and will continue to be vaccinated.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and support of these measures which are designed to protect your loved one from COVID-19 and to avoid our having to close the care home again. Please share the above information with any other family members or friends who may be intending to visit. 

Restrictions on visitor numbers eased from Tuesday, 16 August 2022

Following rapid antigen testing of all our residents on Monday morning, everyone tested negative. Those residents who had previously been confirmed as having COVID-19 have also tested negative and have fully recovered. We are therefore able to revert to the visiting arrangements that were in place prior to our having to close the centre on 29 July.

We would like to remind you of our important infection prevention precautions that everyone is asked to observe. These will enable us to reduce any potential risk of the virus making its way into the care home again, so we can continue to stay open for visiting as long as possible.

• Appointments must be booked in advance; this will ensure we accommodate a safe number of visitors at any one time in the interests of maintaining a COVID-free environment. Please ring us to book a suitable time for you to visit your loved one – you can visit between 9:00am and 5:00pm any day. All visits are for one hour only, except where a resident is critically ill or dying.
• All visitors are required to have a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) on arrival – regardless of their vaccination status – and to return a negative result before seeing their loved one. If you are intending to take your loved one off site, you will still need to have a RAT beforehand.
• Please continue to sign in via our Visitor Management System and observe all the standard COVID hygiene precautions (ie, hand sanitising, coughing/sneezing etiquette).
• You must wear an N95 mask. Masks must be worn at all times (when not eating or drinking), even when visiting in an outdoor setting. We can supply you with an N95 mask, if required.
• Visits will take place in designated areas and outside whenever possible unless the resident is critically ill or dying; for vaccinated visitors, visiting can take place in the resident’s room.
• Visitor numbers are limited to two visitors per appointment if visiting inside, and four if visiting outside.
• No visitor will be allowed on site who is unwell/symptomatic. If you feel unwell at all, please do not visit our care home, but postpone your visit until another time.
• Please be considerate of our staff members who are working to ensure that any potential risk of COVID entering our care home is minimised as much as possible. Persons demonstrating an unwillingness to cooperate with the visitor guidelines will be requested to leave the premises.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and support of these measures which are designed to protect your loved one from COVID-19 and to avoid our having to close the care home again. Please share the above information with any other family members or friends who may be intending to visit. 

Ivan Ward Centre to re-open for limited visiting Wednesday, 10 August 2022

We have been continuing to test all our residents and staff for any indicators of COVID-19 over the last few days and unfortunately still have a number of active cases in some of our households. However, we are confident that we will be able to safely re-open all households in the Ivan Ward Centre tomorrow to visitors who have made appointments.

Visiting will be restricted to one person at a time, with all visits taking place in residents’ rooms. To protect our residents and staff from any further risk of infection, visitors will be required to take a rapid antigen test before seeing their relative and to wear an N95 mask at all times. Families will be unable to take their loved one off site for the time being, until we can be certain of having eliminated the virus.

If you would like to visit from tomorrow, please ring us in advance to book your appointment. This will help from a planning and resourcing perspective and will ensure that we can continue to maintain a safe visiting environment for all.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and assistance with our safe visiting practices, and we look forward to welcoming back our visitors from tomorrow.

Ivan Ward Centre to remain closed - to be reassessed on Friday 5 August 2022.

Unfortunately the Ivan Ward Centre will need to remain closed to visitors for another few days at least. We have identified a number of new cases since Friday, and it is important that we do everything possible to contain any further spread of the virus.

We are continuing to closely monitor residents for symptoms and are working to minimise any further transmission within our households. If there is any change to the health of your loved one, please be assured that we will contact you immediately.

We will continue to make an exception for family members wishing to visit a relative who is receiving palliative care and will also consider special requests to visit in particular circumstances. If you have an urgent need to visit a resident, please contact us to discuss whether we can safely accommodate your visit within our infection prevention and control precautions.

We will review the situation again on Friday and will advise of any changes to our visiting procedures.

Ivan Ward Centre closed to visitors until further notice

Unfortunately we are closing the Ivan Ward Centre to visitors with immediate effect, as two residents in Household 5 have tested positive for COVID-19 this morning.

The two residents are presenting very mild symptoms. As the residents in the same household are considered to be close contacts, they too are required to isolate and will take their meals in their rooms for the time being.

We appreciate that you will be concerned for the health of your loved one, but please be assured that we are implementing all recommended infection prevention and control measures and strict cleaning and sanitising procedures. We will be monitoring all our residents closely for symptoms and will test every 48 hours to determine further cases. If there is any change to the health of your loved one at any time, we will contact you immediately. All our staff continue to take daily rapid antigen tests and must return a negative result before they can start work. Our team members are also wearing N95 masks at all times.

We will enable visits to residents who are receiving palliative care; family members should contact us to make an appointment beforehand and will be required to wear full PPE and a N95 mask during their visit.

The centre will remain closed to all other visitors over the weekend. We will review the situation on Monday and provide an update if there are any changes to our visiting procedures for the other households.

Any visitors who have been to Ivan Ward in the last few days are advised that they do not need to get a COVID test (unless they are symptomatic), but should continue to monitor for the development of any COVID symptoms.

We realise that this news will be disappointing for you and we apologise for the short notice. Please do let us know if we can help facilitate any calls to your loved one over this period, or if you have a specific query or concern as to their general health and wellbeing.

Thank you for your understanding at this time.

Important reminder of our COVID-19 visiting protocols

Following the re-opening of Kerridge care home to visitors, we would like to provide this helpful reminder of the important infection prevention precautions that everyone is asked to observe. Please familiarise yourself with these before your next visit. This will enable us to reduce any potential risk of the virus making its way into our care homes, so we can continue to stay open for visiting as long as possible.

• Appointments must be booked in advance; this will ensure we accommodate a safe number of visitors at any one time in the interests of maintaining a COVID-free environment. Please ring us to book a suitable time for you to visit your loved one – you can visit between 9:30am and 4:30pm any day. All visits are for one hour only, except where a resident is critically ill or dying.
• All visitors are required to have a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) on arrival – regardless of their vaccination status – and to return a negative result before seeing their loved one. If you are intending to take your loved one off site, you will still need to have a RAT beforehand.
• Please continue to sign in via our Visitor Management System and observe all the standard COVID hygiene precautions (ie, hand sanitising, coughing/sneezing etiquette).
• You must wear a medical/surgical mask at the least, but ideally an N95 mask. Please do not wear a cloth mask as these do not provide adequate protection. Masks must be worn at all times (when not eating or drinking), even when visiting in an outdoor setting. Your assistance in coming prepared with the appropriate mask when you next visit will help protect our residents and staff alike. We can supply you with a surgical mask, if necessary.
• Visits will take place in designated areas and outside whenever possible unless the resident is critically ill or dying; for vaccinated visitors, visiting can take place in the resident’s room.
• Visitor numbers are limited to four visitors per appointment (and two if visiting inside).
• No visitor will be allowed on site who is unwell/symptomatic. If you are symptomatic in any way, ie, experiencing Influenza-like illness such as a sore throat, runny nose, headache, chills/sweats, cough, myalgia/muscle pain, fatigue or fever, please do not visit but stay at home until you return a negative test and have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours.
• Please be considerate of our staff members who are working to ensure that any potential risk of COVID entering our care home is minimised as much as possible. Persons demonstrating an unwillingness to cooperate with the visitor guidelines will be requested to leave the premises.

Kerridge will re-open to visitors on Monday, 27 June 2022

As we have had no further COVID cases since 17 June, we are confident in being able to take bookings for visits and accepting new admissions from the start of next week. Please ring us to book a suitable time for you to visit your loved one – you can visit between 9:30am and 4:30pm from Monday (exceptions will of course be made for anyone needing to visit on compassionate grounds).

So that we can facilitate a COVID-safe environment for all, visits will continue to be held outdoors (apart from visits to palliative residents), with all visitors – regardless of their vaccination status –required to have a rapid antigen test on arrival and return a negative result before seeing their family member.

In addition to rapid antigen testing, our general COVID visiting restrictions remain in place, with designated areas allocated according to vaccination status. Visitors will be limited to two per appointment if visiting inside, and four if visiting outside. Please would everyone also continue to sign in via our Visitor Management System, wear a mask (when not eating or drinking) and observe all the usual COVID hygiene precautions.

If you are feeling unwell/symptomatic or showing any signs of a flu-like illness, are under investigation of COVID-19 or are a close contact of someone who is under investigation for COVID-19 or is a confirmed case, please do not visit your relative until you receive a negative test result.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation with our important health and safety protocols, and we look forward to seeing everyone again next week.

Kerridge remains closed to visitors for the rest of this week

The number of positive COVID-19 cases in Kerridge care home is declining and those residents who have had the virus are now improving. It is important that Kerridge continues to remain closed to visitors for all of this week, to ensure that the infection has been eliminated, but we hope to be able to reopen early next week – assuming no positive cases are detected in the interim.

We understand that this will be disappointing for you, but please do continue with your phone calls, Zoom and Facetime chats, as residents very much look forward to those. Do let us know if we can help in coordinating these calls in any way.

Residents who are well are enjoying going out for walks in the village, supported by staff, and our engagement in life programmes continue around the care home, tailored as necessary for those who are isolating and for the wider resident community.

We are continuing to implement all recommended infection prevention and control measures and strict cleaning and sanitising procedures, and are closely screening residents and staff alike. We will contact families directly, if there is any change to the health of their loved one at any time.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to discuss your family member’s wellbeing at any time. If you are needing to visit your relative on compassionate grounds, we will of course accommodate that within our infection prevention controls.

Kerridge care home at Selwyn Village remains closed to visitors

Unfortunantely, Kerridge will remain closed to visitors for the rest of this week. We have identified a number of new cases in the last few days, and it is important that we do everything possible to contain any further spread of the virus.

We are continuing to implement stringent infection prevention and control measures and strict cleaning and sanitising procedures throughout the care home, in line with Selwyn’s comprehensive protocols, as well as rigorous monitoring and observation of our residents. We are rapid antigen testing all residents who prove positive and their close contacts every 48 hours. Our staff members are undergoing RAT testing and temperature screening before they start each shift and are wearing full PPE and the recommended N95 masks. Staff must also change into their uniform at work and change out of it before they leave Kerridge.

We have also introduced cohort nursing for those residents who are isolating in their rooms and have rostered additional staff to ensure this separation of duties. We will of course contact families if their loved one subsequently tests positive and will also provide an update once a resident returns a negative result.

Our diversional therapists are continuing to provide one-on-one engagement in life activities to isolating residents, with activity programmes also taking place in two of the care home wings for those residents who are not symptomatic. We are very happy to arrange family calls on FaceTime, etc, according to your requests. Please contact our administrator or diversional therapists to book calls to your family member and we will assist in facilitating these.

We understand that you will naturally be concerned for the health and wellbeing of your loved one. Please be assured that we are doing everything practical to contain this highly contagious virus and to protect your family member from potential infection.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any query as to your loved one’s health at this time.

Kerridge care home to remain closed to visitors

Unfortunately Kerridge rest home remains closed to visitors for the time being, as we identified another positive case yesterday. 

Please be assured that we’re continuing to closely monitor those who have symptoms, and we have also increased the frequency of our observation checks of our wider resident community. We will contact you immediately if your loved one appears to become unwell at any point (or if any existing symptoms develop further). Those residents who are symptomatic are being cared for in isolation within their rooms.

All members of staff continue to complete rapid antigen tests prior to each shift, and we have implemented enhanced infection prevention and control measures throughout the care home.

We appreciate that it is very disappointing not to be able to visit in person, but please do continue to maintain contact with your loved one through phone/FaceTime, etc, and we’ll do all that we can to assist with that.

Exemptions to the visiting restriction will of course be made on compassionate grounds.

We will undertake further RAT-testing of all residents on Friday and will write to you then with an update.

Thank you for your patience and understanding at this time. If you have a specific query or concern as to your family member’s health, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Kerridge care home closed to visitors unitl further notice

A number of residents in Kerridge care home have received positive rapid antigen test results. The next of kin of these residents have been contacted. As a result we are closing closing Kerridge care home to all visitors with immediate effect until further notice.

All staff continue receive daily rapid antigen tests and must return a negative result and be asymptomatic before they will be allowed to start work. All staff continue to wear N95 masks whilst at work.

We are monitoring residents closely for symptoms and are testing every 48 hours to determine further cases.

Visual checks and physical examinations of residents will take place twice a day to check vital signs and oxygen saturation levels. This is in addition to the regular observations that we carry out on a routine basis.

We appreciate that you will be concerned for the safety of your loved one, but please be assured, we have strict protocols in place. We will contact you immediately if your loved should appear to have symptoms or receive a positive result from a rapid antigen test.

We apologise for this short notice. We will keep you appraised of the situation as more information comes to hand and expect to provide an update on Tuesday.

Another resident in Sarah Selwyn Hospital tests positive for COVID-19

Despite our rigorous screening of visitors who have had to undergo a rapid antigen test before visiting their loved ones and staff also before commencing work, we wish to advise you that another resident in Sarah Selwyn has tested positive for COVID-19. All contacts of that resident have been retested and have returned negative results. We are still trying to determine the source of the infection.

This resident is in isolation and their next of kin have been contacted.

At this stage Sarah Selwyn remains open to visitors within the designated visiting hours. All visitors will be tested prior to entry.
All staff will continue to receive daily rapid antigen tests and must return a negative result and be asymptomatic before they will be allowed to start work. All staff continue to wear N95 masks whilst at work.

Residents showing flu-like symptoms will be isolated immediately, undergo a rapid antigen test and monitored closely.
Should any further residents test positive, we will need to close Sarah Selwyn again.

Please be assured, we have strict protocols in place. We will contact you immediately if your loved should appear to have symptoms or receive a positive result from a rapid antigen test.

Sarah Selwyn has re-opened for visiting today

We have been successful in preventing any further spread of COVID-19, with no cases reported in the last few days, so are confident in taking bookings for visits and accepting new admissions. Please ring us to book a suitable time for you to visit your loved one – you can visit this afternoon up to 4:30pm, and between 9:30am and 4:30pm from tomorrow (exceptions will of course be made for anyone needing to visit on compassionate grounds).

So that we can facilitate a COVID-safe environment for all, visits will continue to be held outdoors (apart from visits to palliative residents), with all visitors – regardless of their vaccination status –required to have a rapid antigen test on arrival and return a negative result before seeing their family member.

In addition to rapid antigen testing, our general COVID visiting restrictions remain in place, with designated areas allocated according to vaccination status. Visitors will be limited to two per appointment if visiting inside, and four if visiting outside. Please would everyone also continue to sign in via our Visitor Management System, wear a mask (when not eating or drinking) and observe all the usual COVID hygiene precautions.

If you are feeling unwell/symptomatic or showing any signs of a flu-like illness, are under investigation of COVID-19 or are a close contact of someone who is under investigation for COVID-19 or is a confirmed case, please do not visit your relative until you receive a negative test result.

As New Zealand is now opening its borders, the Ministry of Health advises that there may be an increase in flu cases this season. Omicron is also still a threat, so it will be doubly important to protect vulnerable communities and the health system. Our residents have received their flu vaccinations and – in the general community – everyone over 65 can get the free flu vaccine, as well as those with compromised immune systems. The Government has also widened eligibility for the free vaccine to include Māori and Pacific people aged 55 and over. As with protecting against COVID, having the flu vaccine is our best form of defence and will save lives, and I would encourage as many people as possible to have the vaccination if they can.

Sarah Selwyn hospital to remain closed to visitors until next Monday, 30 May 2022

Sarah Selwyn will unfortunately remain closed to visitors until next Monday, 30 May - assuming we have no new cases over the weekend. A number of residents have tested positive this week, and it is important that we do everything possible to reduce any risk of further transmission.

We understand that this will be very disappointing for you and that you will be concerned for your loved one. Please be assured that we are doing everything possible to contain this highly contagious virus and to protect your family members from potential infection.

We have introduced additional infection control measures and are continuing to closely monitor all our residents for any early indicators of the virus. We will contact you immediately if your loved one appears to become unwell at any point (or if existing symptoms develop further).

Whilst we appreciate that it is no substitute for visiting in person, we would ask that you continue to maintain contact with your family member through phone/FaceTime, etc, and we will do all that we can to assist with that.

Sarah Selwyn Hospital COVID-19 update

Sarah Selwyn will continue to be closed to visitors for the time being, to allow for an appropriate number of days’ isolation to pass so we can ensure everyone’s health and safety.

All residents who have returned a positive test are either asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms. The virus has affected residents whose rooms are on the ground floor, and we’re working to contain any possible spread through cohort nursing and enhanced infection prevention and control measures.

Please be assured that we’re continuing to closely monitor those who have symptoms, and we have also increased the frequency of our observation checks of our wider resident community.

We will contact family immediately if a loved one appears to become unwell at any point (or if any existing symptoms develop further). In the meantime, please do continue to maintain contact with your family member through phone/FaceTime, etc, and we’ll be happy to assist with that as required.  Exemptions to the visiting restriction will of course be made on compassionate grounds.

We would hope to be able to re-open for visiting early next week, but we’ll confirm that nearer the time. Thank you for your understanding and support.

If you have a specific query or concern as to your family member’s health at all, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Sarah Selwyn Hospital closed to visitors until further notice

Despite our rigorous screening of visitors who have had to undergo a rapid antigen test before visiting their loved ones and staff also before commencing work, we wish to advise you that we are closing Sarah Selwyn care home to all visitors with immediate effect until further notice.

A number of residents have received positive results from rapid antigen tests. The next of kin of these residents have been contacted. We are still trying to determine the source of the infection and will keep you abreast of the situation.

All staff will continue to receive daily rapid antigen tests and must return a negative result and be asymptomatic before they will be allowed to start work. All staff continue to wear N95 masks whilst at work.

Residents are also receiving daily rapid antigen tests and we are monitoring residents closely for symptoms.

Visual checks and physical examinations of residents will take place twice a day to check vital signs and oxygen saturation levels. This is in addition to the regular observations that we carry out on a routine basis.

We appreciate that you will be concerned for the safety of your loved one, but please be assured, we have strict protocols in place. We will contact you immediately if your loved should appear to have symptoms or receive a positive result from a rapid antigen test.

We apologise for this short notice. We will keep you appraised of the situation as more information comes to hand and expect to provide an update within 48 hours.

Kerridge House will re-open to visitors tomorrow (13 April 2022)

We have been successful in preventing any further spread of COVID-19 within Kerridge House Rest Home since our original three cases. Given this we are now confident in taking bookings for visits from tomorrow morning and accepting new admissions. Please ring us on 09 845 0733 to book a suitable time for you to visit your loved one between 9:30am and 4:30pm (exceptions will be made for anyone needing to visit on compassionate grounds). 

So that we can facilitate a COVID-safe environment for all, visits will continue to be held outdoors (apart from visits to palliative residents), with all visitors – regardless of their vaccination status –required to have a rapid antigen test on arrival and return a negative result before seeing their family member.

In addition to rapid antigen testing, our general COVID visiting restrictions remain in place. If you are feeling unwell/symptomatic or showing any signs of a flu-like illness, are under investigation of COVID-19 or are a close contact of someone who is under investigation for COVID-19 or is a confirmed case, please do not visit your relative until you receive a negative test result.

As New Zealand is now starting to open its borders, the Ministry of Health advises that there may be an increase in flu cases this season. Omicron is also still a threat, so it will be doubly important to protect vulnerable communities and the health system. We will be arranging flu vaccinations for our residents later this month and – in the general community – everyone over 65 can get the free flu vaccine, as well as those with compromised immune systems. The Government has also widened eligibility for the free vaccine to include Māori and Pacific people aged 55 and over. As with protecting against COVID, having the flu vaccine is our best form of defence and will save lives, and we would encourage as many people as possible to have the vaccination if they can.

Precautionary closing of Kerridge House to all visitors with immediate effect

Three residents in Selwyn Village's Kerridge care home have returned positive rapid antigen test results for COVID-19. While we undertake further surveillance testing, we are closing the care home to all visitors with immediate effect and until further notice as a precautionary measure.

The residents concerned are now isolating and taking their meals in their rooms for the time being. No other residents are displaying symptoms at this time, but we are now conducting rapid antigen testing (RAT) of all residents. All our staff members have been undergoing testing routinely before every shift.

Our care home will also be closed to all non-essential personnel, including volunteers and external service providers such as the hairdresser and podiatrist.
We are liaising with the Auckland District Health Board on our infection control and prevention procedures and our approach to minimising any further possible transmission.

If we can assist family members with facilitating contact with their loved one remotely, please do let us know. Exemptions to the visiting restriction will of course be made on compassionate grounds.

We continue to monitor residents closely for symptoms and will contact you directly if your loved one appears to become unwell at any point.

There will be no changes to our visiting requirements for the foreseeable future

Following the changes to the COVID-19 Protection Framework announced by Government on Wednesday, we wish to clarify that there will be no changes to Selwyn's visiting procedures for the foreseeable future. We will be retaining all our existing infection prevention and control precautions under the Red traffic light setting, as they have been most effective to date in helping us protect our residents and reduce the risk of potential spread of any infection.

Therefore, please would all visitors continue to wear a medical/surgical mask – even when visiting in an outdoor setting, and, of course, if you need to come into the care home at any point.

Vaccine Passes must be used at least until Tuesday, 5 April. We will notify you thereafter if we will be introducing any changes to this requirement, but we note that premises will still be able to use the system if they choose to do so. Please continue to sign in via our Visitor Management System. Although scanning of QR codes will no longer be required from midnight tonight, everyone is encouraged not to remove the COVID-19 tracer app from their phone just yet in case it may be needed again in the future.

All visitors will still be required to have a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) on arrival – regardless of their vaccination status – and to return a negative result before seeing their loved one. Our staff will also continue to be RAT-tested prior to starting every shift, as will our external service providers and volunteers. Vaccine mandates will remain in place for all our teams, as required by the Ministry of Health.

All our other visiting protocols will remain: appointments are to be made in advance; visits will take place in designated areas and outside whenever possible; visiting is limited to four visitors per appointment (and two if visiting inside).

Most importantly, if you are symptomatic in any way, ie, experiencing Influenza-like illness such as a sore throat, runny nose, headache, chills/sweats, cough, myalgia/muscle pain, fatigue or fever, please do not visit your family member but stay at home until you return a negative test and have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours.

The Government will decide on 4 April whether all or parts of the country can move to the Orange traffic light setting, and we will update you, should there be any changes to our visiting procedures.

If you have not yet had your COVID-19 vaccination or booster, please consider doing so as soon as possible, as vaccination is our best tool in preventing infection and reducing community transmission and hospitalisation rates.

As always, thank you for your assistance in ensuring that we maintain a safe environment for all those in our care.

Ivan Ward Centre reopens to outdoor visiting only, from Monday, 21 March (with revised visiting times)

From Monday, 21 March 2022 residents of all households, including our Brian Wells House memory support unit, will be able to receive visitors, as we have had no new cases of COVID-19. 

To ensure a COVID-safe environment for all, visits will be held outdoors (with the exception of visits to palliative residents) and will be by appointment only.

Please also be aware that our visiting hours will also change from Monday, and we ask that you visit your loved ones between 9:30am – 4:30pm only. The revised visiting times are consistent with those of our other care homes at Selwyn Village and are an important part of our overall infection prevention measures, especially in light of the large number of Omicron cases still being reported throughout Auckland.

As per the new visitor screening precaution that was recently introduced, all visitors – regardless of their vaccination status – will be required to have a rapid antigen test on arrival and return a negative result before seeing their loved one. Should you return a positive result, you will unfortunately be unable to visit until you subsequently receive a negative PCR test.

In addition to rapid antigen testing, our general COVID visiting restrictions remain in force.

If you are feeling unwell/symptomatic, are under investigation of COVID-19 or are a close contact of someone who is under investigation for COVID-19 or is a confirmed case, please do not visit your relative until you receive a negative test result.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation with our important health and safety procedures.

The Ivan Ward Centre remains closed

The Ivan Ward Centre at Selwyn Village remains closed to visitors for the time being, as we still have a number of residents with COVID-19.

All residents who have returned a positive test are either asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms.

Please be reassured that we’re continuing to closely monitor everyone for symptoms and will contact family members directly if loved ones appear to become unwell at any point. In the meantime, please do continue to maintain contact with your family member through phone/FaceTime, etc, and we’ll be happy to assist with that as required.

Exemptions to the visiting restriction will of course be made on compassionate grounds.

Thank you for your understanding and support at this time. If you have a specific query or concern as to your family member’s health at all, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Sarah Selwyn Hospital reopens to visitors (with revised visiting times), whilst Ivan Ward Centre remains closed

We have been successful in preventing the spread of COVID-19 amongst our residents of Sarah Selwyn Hospital, with no new cases detected over the weekend or yesterday. As we are only managing the original case (whose symptoms are extremely mild), we are confident in welcoming visitors and new admissions from today (8 March 2022).

Unfortunately at this time, the Ivan Ward Centre remains closed to visitors.

Visiting hours at all care homes in Selwyn Village are now to be consistent between 9:30am – 4:30pm only (with the exception of those needing to visit on compassionate grounds). We are putting this in place whilst COVID-19 remains a threat to the health and safety of our residents and staff, and particularly in light of the recent dramatic rise in the number of Omicron cases reported throughout Auckland.

As per our new infection prevention control recently introduced, all visitors – regardless of their vaccination status – will be required to have a rapid antigen test on arrival and return a negative result before seeing their loved one. Should you return a positive result, you will unfortunately be unable to visit until you subsequently receive a negative PCR test.

In addition to rapid antigen testing, our general COVID visiting restrictions remain in place. If you are feeling unwell/symptomatic, are under investigation of COVID-19 or are a close contact of someone who is under investigation for COVID-19 or is a confirmed case, please do not visit your relative until you receive a negative test result.

Thank you for your ongoing patience, we will advise you once the Ivan Ward Centre is able to accept visitors.

Sarah Selwyn Hospital now closed to all visitors

A resident of Sarah Selwyn Hospital has returned a positive PCR result for COVID-19 and another resident is displaying similar COVID-like symptoms. We are therefore closing the care home to all visitors with immediate effect and until further notice.

The resident concerned is now self-isolating in their room and receiving antimicrobial therapy. No other residents are displaying symptoms at this time, but we are conducting rapid antigen testing (RAT) of all residents in the same wing.

Ivan Ward Centre remains closed to all visitors

Due to a number of positive COVID-19 cases, the Ivan Ward Centre will remain closed to all visitors until further notice (except for those needing to visit on compassionate grounds).

In our Brian Wells House memory support unit, all residents and staff are isolating from our wider Ivan Ward community. Within the unit, we are endeavouring to keep residents who have contracted the virus isolated as much as is practicable and have many measures in place to prevent further transmission, whilst ensuring residents’ stimulation, engagement and overall wellbeing at this time.

In the wider Ivan Ward Centre community, residents who have tested positive are continuing to self-isolate and we are providing meal service and one-on-one diversional activities and exercise for each person in their room. All residents who have returned a positive test are either asymptomatic or presenting very mild symptoms.

We are in touch on a regular basis with the family members of those affected to keep them informed of their loved one’s condition.
We continue to closely monitor all residents and staff members for any early signs of potential symptoms. Should anyone appear symptomatic, they will take a RAT and the appropriate infection control procedures will be put in place as necessary.

Please do let us know if we can help facilitate any calls to your loved one over this period, and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have a specific query or concern as to your family member’s health.

Changing visiting hours for all Selwyn Village Care Homes 9:30am – 4:30pm

With the increasing pressures of COVID-19 transmission and the strict protocols we have in place, we are changing the visiting hours to be consistent across all our care homes in Selwyn Village.

We ask that you only visit your loved ones between 9:30am – 4:30pm (except by appointment, and on compassionate grounds).

We are putting this in place whilst COVID-19 remains a threat to the health and safety of our residents and staff.

Thank you for your cooperation. Please do let us know if we can help facilitate calls to your loved ones.
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Ivan Ward Centre at Selwyn Village closed to visitors for at least the next 14 days

We can confirm that three residents in the Ivan Ward Centre care home have returned positive rapid antigen test results. We are waiting for the return of the PCR test results, however we are treating these residents as confirmed with COVD-19.

As always, we are working the Ministry of Health and Auckland District Health Board. The next of kin of the three residents have been contacted.

Rapid antigen testing of all visitors to take effect immediately

With cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 increasing across the country, Selwyn is taking additional infection prevention control protocols to try to prevent any possible spread of this highly infectious virus.

All visitors – regardless of their vaccination status – will now be required to have a rapid antigen test (RAT) on arrival at our care homes and return a negative result before seeing their loved one. We will provide a self-test RAT kit for you to complete in the presence of a member of our care team. Should you return a positive result, you will unfortunately be unable to visit your loved one until you subsequently receive a negative PCR test.

This new precaution will take effect immediately and will continue whilst we remain in the Red traffic light setting.

Similarly, all members of our care team are undergoing daily RATs before starting each shift, as per the latest Ministry of Health guidance for asymptomatic surveillance testing of all resident-facing staff in Phases 2 and 3 of the Omicron response. This will also apply to all volunteers and external health/wellbeing/beauty service providers who visit our care home.

In addition to the implementation of rapid antigen testing, our general COVID visiting restrictions remain in place. If you are feeling unwell/symptomatic, are under investigation of COVID-19 or are a close contact of someone who is under investigation for COVID-19 or is a confirmed case, please do not visit your relative until you receive a negative test result.

As always, we thank you for your understanding and assistance in ensuring that we maintain a safe environment for all those in our care.

Selwyn Heights care home closed to visitors for at least the next 14 days after COVID-19 now confirmed

We can confirm that one of the residents at Selwyn Heights care home has returned a positive PCR test result.

After talking with the Auckland District Health Board they have advised that we are now to treat all six residents and two staff members who returned positive rapid antigen test results as confirmed with COVD-19. The next of kin of those residents have been contacted.

All staff continue to receive a rapid antigen test and must return a negative result and be asymptomatic before they commence work each day. All staff are wearing N95 masks whilst at work.

All residents continue to receive daily rapid antigen tests and we continue to monitor residents closely for symptoms.

Visual checks and physical examinations of residents take place twice a day to check vital signs and oxygen saturation levels. This is in addition to the regular observations that we carry out on a routine basis.

All care home staff are fully vaccinated as per the Government mandate for workers in the health and disability sector.

If you have visited your loved one in the past 14 days, please monitor yourself for symptoms such a dry cough, scratchy or sore throat. Don’t delay, get yourself tested and isolate.

The Selwyn Heights Care home will remain closed to visitors for at least the next 14 days.

Selwyn Oaks remains closed to visitors after staff member tests positive for COVID-19

After confirming that a caregiver at Selwyn Oaks had tested positive for COVID-19, we closed Selwyn Oaks to visitors and have continued to test residents and staff on a daily basis. To date we have had no other positive COVID-19 test results.

Visual checks and physical examinations of residents continue to take place twice a day to check vital signs and oxygen saturation levels. This is in addition to the regular observations that we carry out on a routine basis.

All care home staff are fully vaccinated as per the Government mandate for workers in the health and disability sector.

Selwyn Heights care home closed to visitors after two positive results from a rapid antigen tests

We can confirm that a resident and registered nurse at Selwyn Heights care home have both returned positive results from a rapid antigen test. These are not considered positive cases until the PCRs are confirmed. PCR tests have been completed and we are waiting for the results. The next of kin of the resident have been contacted.

We have closed Selwyn Heights care home to visitors while we wait for further advice from the Ministry of Health and Auckland District Health Boards.

All staff will receive a rapid antigen test and must return a negative result and be asymptomatic before they will be allowed to start work. All staff are wearing N95 masks whilst at work.

Residents are also receiving daily rapid antigen tests and we are monitoring residents closely for symptoms.

Visual checks and physical examinations of residents will take place twice a day to check vital signs and oxygen saturation levels. This is in addition to the regular observations that we carry out on a routine basis.

All care home staff are fully vaccinated as per the Government mandate for workers in the health and disability sector.

We will continue to update the website as more information becomes available.

Selwyn Oaks village closed to visitors after staff member tests positive for COVID-19

We can confirm that a caregiver at Selwyn Oaks has tested positive for COVID-19. We have closed Selwyn Oaks to visitors while we wait for further advice from the Ministry of Health and Counties Manukau District Health Board.

All staff will receive a rapid antigen test and must return a negative result and be asymptomatic before they will be allowed to start work.

We will monitor all residents’ and staff members’ health status. Visual checks and physical examinations of residents will take place twice a day to check vital signs and oxygen saturation levels. This is in addition to the regular observations that we carry out on a routine basis.

All care home staff are fully vaccinated as per the Government mandate for workers in the health and disability sector.

New Zealand now following red traffic light protocols

As Omicron spreads through our community we find ourselves moving back under red traffic light protocols. So what does this mean for Selwyn villages and care homes? Click here to print a quick reference guide.

Visitors

• All vaccinated visitors are welcome in our care homes during visiting hours and by appointment only.
• Unvaccinated visitors, and those identified as higher risk through the Visitor Management System process, will require an onsite rapid antigen test and a negative result must be returned before the visitor may enter.
• Vaccinated visitors will need to wear a medical / surgical mask whilst in the village and care home and remain one metre apart from the resident they are visiting
• Unvaccinated visitors are required to wear full PPE (which includes an N95 mask) and remain two metres apart from the resident for the duration of the visit
• Two visitors allowed per appointment if visiting inside, and four if visiting outside
• Staff will direct you to designated visiting areas for vaccinated and non-vaccinated visitors
• Visits to occur outside whenever possible
• You must use the Visitor Management System, scan in using the QR code, provide proof of vaccination and follow the hand hygiene guidelines when you visit our car homes
• Your temperature will also be taken as part of this process

Feeling unwell?
We ask that you remain vigilant. If you are feeling generally unwell or have any symptoms of colds, flu or COVID-19 please follow public health advice and stay home. You must not enter a Selwyn village or care home.

Residents

• All residents must follow 2 metre social distancing in our care homes
• Residents can still leave the care home and village to enjoy social visits with loved ones
• When the resident returns to the care home, a rapid antigen test will need to be undertaken on-site. If the RAT result is positive, the resident will need to go into isolation and have a PCR (throat or nasal) swab test taken immediately and again on day five.
• Medical / surgical masks should be worn outside the care home and on any outings
• Care home activities can continue as planned, whilst maintaining 2 metre distancing at all times
• Residents can continue to receive deliveries through the gate safety officers (Selwyn Village & Selwyn Heights only), recording details and temperature checking. Deliveries are made to a single point at main reception, and Selwyn staff will deliver the items to the resident’s room.
• Beauty/ grooming services (eg, hairdressing) remain available to vaccinated residents only.
• External providers offering health-related services (such as the podiatrist and dentist) will be able to attend to residents who are unvaccinated (assuming this complies with the practitioner’s own COVID protocols)
• Remind your visitors to follow our protocols, and we recommend that if you have a window (where possible) open it while your visitors are in your room.

Feeling unwell?
We ask that you remain vigilant. If you are feeling generally unwell or have any symptoms of colds, flu or COVID-19 please tell a nurse or care giver.

New admissions

• It is our preference that all new residents be vaccinated or have had at least one vaccine dose before entering a Selwyn Care home and to agree to be fully vaccinated within 6 weeks of admission, unless they are medically exempted from vaccination or require palliative care.
• All new residents must have a negative Covid19 test result within 48 hours before being admitted and a rapid antigen test immediately on admission. If negative, no isolation period is required.
• If positive, the resident must go into isolation and have a PCR swab test done immediately, and again on day 5.

Respite Care
We are only accepting those people with urgent respite care under the red traffic light setting. The above restrictions under new admissions apply.

Any questions, please contact village reception or management.

Ivan Ward Centre to reopen to visitors on Monday, 24 January 2022

All day 8 PCR tests of residents in the affected households of the Ivan Ward Centre at Selwyn Village, Pt Chevalier have now come back as negative, therefore we’ll be able to re-open to visitors from Monday, 24 January. Over the weekend, we’ll continue to monitor residents for any potential symptoms, but Auckland Regional Public Health Service and the District Health Board are fully supportive of our welcoming visitors into the care home again.

All residents and staff of Ivan Ward Centre have returned negative results from Day 5 testing

Residents and staff of the Ivan Ward Centre at Selwyn Village remain well and asymptomatic. All have returned negative results from their Day 5 testing on Sunday.

Booster shots for residents and staff are being completed today.

Day 8 PCR testing will take place Wednesday, 19 January 2022 at 10:30am for residents in households 3 and 6 (where the affected caregiver had worked) and for the staff who had been rostered in these areas at the same time. Residents in these households remain in isolation, however we’re continuing with one-on-one activities and exercise for each person within their room.

Brian Wells House is not one of the households where the caregiver had worked.

We’re continuing to closely monitor all residents’ and staff members’ health status. Visual checks and physical examinations of residents are taking place twice a day to check vital signs and oxygen saturation levels. This is in addition to the regular observations that we carry out on a routine basis. Additional staff have been assigned to focus on this exclusively, so that early indication of any potential symptoms can be detected immediately.

We’re liaising with Auckland Regional Public Health Service and Auckland District Health Board throughout and acting on all guidance received.

Caregiver at the Ivan Ward Centre, Selwyn Village tests positive for COVID-19

We can confirm that a caregiver at the Ivan Ward care centre at Selwyn Village (Point Chevalier) has tested positive for COVID-19 after being notified as a close contact. The individual was asymptomatic whilst at work and had been complying with our strict infection prevention practices and procedures.

We are working with the Auckland Regional Public Health Service and the Auckland District Health Board and the care centre has now been closed to visitors for the next 14 days. We have undertaken rapid antigen testing of staff and residents and at this time, no other staff or residents have tested positive. The DHB mobile testing team will visit Ivan Ward on Sunday, 16 January 2022 to complete the day five PCR tests, retesting again on day eight Wednesday, 19 January 2022.

All care home staff are fully vaccinated as per the Government mandate for workers in the health and disability sector. 100% of the Ivan Ward residents are also fully vaccinated. With our ongoing vigilance around COVID-19 protocols the Auckland Regional Public Health Service and the Auckland District Health Board view the situation as a low to moderate risk.

We continue to work with and take advice from the Auckland Regional Public Health Service and the Auckland District Health Board, monitoring residents and staff for symptoms.

COVID-19 Auckland update: arrangements for visiting under the Orange traffic light setting, effective from 31 December 2021

In advance of the Auckland region moving to Orange at 11:59pm on 30 December 2021, we wish to clarify arrangements for visiting which will take effect from 31 December 2021.

Visiting will continue to take place during visiting hours with two visitors per appointment if visiting indoors, and four if visiting outside. It will still be necessary to make an appointment. All visits will be for one hour, except where a resident is critically ill or dying.

All visitors are to scan in using the QR code, sign into the Visitor Management System and answer the specific health declaration questions, have their temperature checked and provide evidence of their COVID-19 vaccination status to reception staff.
If the visitor is from a Red zone, they must follow our Red protocols for visitors.

Social leave with loved ones outside the care home will be permitted, with a declaration from family as to the actions they will take to protect the resident from any possible COVID risk whilst they are away. When the resident returns to the care home, a rapid antigen test (RAT) will need to be undertaken on site (once they become available). If the RAT result is positive, the resident will need to go into isolation and have a PCR (throat or nasal) swab test taken immediately and again on day five.

For vaccinated visitors:

• Vaccinated visitors may also need to undergo a RAT on site (when available) and a negative result returned before the visitor may enter, if their responses to the screening questions in our Visitor Management System indicate a higher risk of COVID-19.
• Visiting can occur in the resident’s bedroom or outside, but not in a communal area.
• Vaccinated visitors must wear a mask at all times when they are inside the care home (except when in the resident’s room or the designated meeting place outside).

For unvaccinated visitors:

• Visits will occur in a designated area for unvaccinated visitors outside, unless the resident is critically ill or dying.
• Until we have RATs available, unvaccinated visitors must provide a negative COVID-19 result from a PCR swab test undertaken 48-72 hours prior to the visit. If the result is not received prior to the scheduled visit, the visit will need to be rescheduled. This requirement for testing will also apply to children aged 12 and under (unless the resident is critically ill or dying).
• Unvaccinated visitors must wear a mask at all times. There is no requirement to wear full PPE, unless coming from a Red zone.

There is a change to the protocols for external health/wellbeing contractors to align with legal requirements stipulated under the Ministry of Health’s traffic light framework. Where a provider offers health-related services (such as the podiatrist and dentist), they will be able to attend to residents who are unvaccinated (assuming this complies with the practitioner’s own COVID protocols). However, beauty/ grooming services (eg, hairdressing) remain available to vaccinated residents only.

Our procedures for volunteers are as per our letter of 9 December 2021 (but now with one metre distancing been volunteers and residents at all times). Visiting entertainers will now be permitted into the care home and will be required to follow the same COVID-safety protocols as volunteers and external health contractors.

As a reminder, no visitor will be allowed on site who is unwell/symptomatic, under investigation of COVID-19 or is a close contact of someone who is under investigation for COVID-19 or a confirmed COVID-19 case.

Thank you for your assistance and cooperation with the above protocols as we work to keep our vulnerable residents safe during this ongoing pandemic. ​

We have taken the opportunity to review our visiting arrangements under the Red and Orange traffic light settings based on new guidelines that have now been issued by the New Zealand Aged Care Association and the Ministry of Health.

As you know, New Zealand will transition tomorrow to the new COVID-19 Protection Framework (the traffic light system). We have now reviewed our care home visiting restrictions and other health and safety protocols in readiness for both Red and Orange settings and these are outlined below. 

COVID-19 update: restricted visiting to continue at Selwyn Wilson Carlile and Selwyn St Andrew’s until further notice

We wish to inform you that – although all of Waikato has now moved back to COVID-19 Alert Level 2 – we will be maintaining restricted visiting until further notice, whilst community cases are still being detected in the region. This is in order to reduce any possible risk of the extremely contagious Delta variant getting into our care environment and infecting our frail and vulnerable residents.

Therefore, visiting will continue to be restricted to two designated family members or friends per resident who can visit each day, but only one person to visit at a time. All our existing visiting protocols will also continue to apply.

These arrangements will remain in place until such time as we have finalised our planning to take account of the new ‘traffic light’ system which is due to come into force as per the Government’s recently launched COVID-19 Protection Framework (assuming Waikato stays at Alert Level 2 for the time being).

We’d like to thank everyone in advance for their cooperation with our safety procedures, which we’re sure you appreciate are intended to help keep our residents safe. If you’ve any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us.​

Second designated visitor per resident permitted from, 11 November 2021 (under Alert Level 3 guidelines)

We would like to thank all our designated visitors for their assistance and cooperation with our important visiting protocols over recent weeks. We am now pleased to inform you that we will be able to welcome a second designated visitor per resident to visit on compassionate grounds from, Thursday, 11 November 2021, with just one person visiting at a time.

To prevent any misunderstandings as to our expectations of visitors, we would be grateful if you would ensure that the second nominated visitor is familiar with all our health and safety precautions in advance of their visit. These are based on strict guidelines that have been issued to us by the Ministry of Health (as outlined in our letter of 20 October 2021 - COVID-19 update: visiting on compassionate grounds under Alert Level 3).

The second designated visitor is requested to contact us to agree a time for their visit and must provide us with evidence of their COVID-19 vaccination status beforehand. Proof of vaccination should be emailed to the care home, or they can call the Care Manager if they would like to discuss further.

All necessary precautions are to be taken to manage visiting in a safe and controlled way, in order to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission to our other residents and staff. The following are the key points to note:

• Visitors are required to wear face masks, sign into the Visitor Management System and/or the paper-based declaration form and answer the various health declaration questions within the system, have their temperature taken, scan the QR code, and use hand sanitiser before going to see their relative/friend. Please be aware that you may be asked for evidence of vaccination when making your entry declaration.
• Where possible, visits will be held in designated areas outdoors in the grounds of the care home, rather than inside. This will be subject to the health status of the resident and weather permitting.
• If the resident is unvaccinated, irrespective of the visitor’s vaccination status, the visit must take place outdoors, with the resident wearing a mask and the visitor wearing full PPE (if weather conditions prevent this, the visit will be rescheduled).
• All visits will be for 30 minutes, except where a resident is critically ill or dying.
• Non-vaccinated visitors must provide a negative COVID-19 result 48-72 hours prior to their visit. They will be required to wear full PPE during the visit and remain two metres apart from the resident for the duration of the visit. The visit will occur in a separate designated outdoor area for unvaccinated visitors (except if a resident is receiving end-of-life care). If weather conditions prevent this, the visit will be rescheduled.
• Aligned with Selwyn’s staff policy and the Government’s policy for the health and disability sector, non-vaccinated visitors will be permitted on site up to 31 December 2021 with extra precautions. (Please note that – since our letter of 20 October – the original date for those in the health and residential aged care sector to be fully vaccinated has been pushed back by the COVID-19 Response Minister to 1 January 2022, to bring it into line with school and early learning staff.)
• Beyond 31 December 2021, visits by unvaccinated visitors will only be permitted for residents who are critically ill or dying, with visitors wearing full PPE and arranged with us in advance.
• No visitor will be allowed who is unwell/symptomatic, under investigation of COVID-19 or is a close contact of someone who is under investigation for COVID-19 or a confirmed COVID-19 case.
• Visitors are asked not to bring in under 12s for the time being.

Over the next two weeks, we will be reviewing our visiting protocols in relation to the new ‘traffic light’ system which will come into force as per the Government’s recently launched COVID-19 Protection Framework, and we will update you on any new procedures as soon as we are in a position to do so. 

Thank you, again, for your understanding and compliance with our essential infection prevention measures. We look forward to welcoming additional visitors again from Thursday.

Selwyn Park - Restricted visiting to be introduced again from midday, 30 October 2021

Following the Government’s announcement that there has been just one new case of COVID-19 detected in Northland, we are pleased to be able to re-introduce visiting on compassionate grounds from midday Saturday for designated visitors only.

As outlined in our letter of 20 October 2021 (COVID-19 update: visiting on compassionate grounds under Alert Level 3), our visiting protocols are based on strict guidelines that have been issued by the Ministry of Health to residential aged care providers. These allow for some flexibility in granting visits for compassionate reasons at the provider’s discretion and in certain circumstances.

All necessary precautions will be taken to manage visiting in a safe and controlled way, in order to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission to our other residents and staff. Where possible, visits will be held in designated areas outdoors in the grounds of the care home, rather than inside. This will be subject to the health status of the resident and weather permitting. If the resident is unvaccinated, irrespective of the visitor’s vaccination status, the visit must take place outdoors, with the resident wearing a mask and the visitor wearing full PPE (if weather conditions prevent this, the visit will be rescheduled). All visits will be for 30 minutes, except where a resident is critically ill or dying.

Non-vaccinated visitors must provide a negative COVID-19 result 48-72 hours prior to their visit. They will be required to wear full PPE during the visit and remain two metres apart from the resident for the duration of the visit. The visit will occur in a separate designated outdoor area for unvaccinated visitors (except if a resident is receiving end-of-life care). If weather conditions prevent this, the visit will be rescheduled. 

No visitor will be allowed who is unwell/symptomatic, under investigation of COVID-19 or is a close contact of someone who is under investigation for COVID-19 or a confirmed COVID-19 case.

If you are a designated visitor and would like to visit your family member, but have not already provided us with evidence of your COVID-19 vaccination status, please email your proof of vaccination to your Care Manager or call us if you would like to discuss further.

To prevent any misunderstanding as to who exactly is able to visit, we would ask that EPOAs please share the above information with other family members. Unfortunately, we can only permit one designated visitor per resident, who must be the same person each time. We also request that visitors do not bring in under 12s until we start to see the number of vaccinations in the general population increase.

Thank you for your understanding and assistance with our safety protocols. We look forward to welcoming visitors again.

Selwyn Park - reintroduced restrictions

We’ve been advised this afternoon by Northland District Health Board of two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Northland. We’ve therefore reintroduced our Selwyn Level 3 restrictions with immediate effect. This means, unfortunately, that residents will be unable to receive visitors for the foreseeable future, except for those whose loved ones are receiving end-of-life care.

Whilst there’s a heightened risk of community transmission, keeping all our residents safe from any risk of contracting the virus must be our priority.

We apologise for the short notice. Please do let us know if you need assistance with arranging telephone or zoom calls with your family member.

This is an important reminder that it is imperative for everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible – for their own health and for those they care about. To see a list of vaccination clinics in Northland, go to the HealthPoint website. No appointment is required, but if anyone wants to make an appointment they can book via Book My Vaccine.

Thank you for your patience and understanding at this time. If you have any questions or concerns whatsoever, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Visiting on compassionate grounds under Alert Level 3

We wish to advise you that the Ministry of Health has issued new guidelines to residential aged care providers regarding visits by family members on compassionate grounds under COVID-19 Alert Level 3. Whilst they continue to require visitors and providers to observe stringent health and safety precautions, screening procedures and a risk-averse approach – especially in the case of visitors who are unvaccinated – they offer a degree of flexibility at the provider’s discretion and in certain circumstances.

The main provision allows for visits to be granted on compassionate grounds based on a clinical evaluation of the resident’s health status by the aged care provider and assessed against certain key health indicators. Where a visit is to be permitted, the provider will discuss the particular arrangements with the designated visitor, with the visit to take place in compliance with the infection prevention measures in force within the care home.

For Selwyn care homes, this means that visits on compassionate grounds will be considered on a case-by-case basis, subject to public health advice, our clinical assessment of the resident, and COVID-19 risk management screening. Visiting may commence from Tuesday, 26 October 2021.

We will take all necessary precautions and manage visiting in a safe and controlled way, to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission to our other residents and staff. Where possible, visits will be held in designated areas outdoors in the grounds of the care home, rather than inside. This will be subject to the health status of the resident and weather permitting. If the resident is unvaccinated, irrespective of the visitor’s vaccination status, the visit must take place outdoors, with the resident wearing a mask and the visitor wearing full PPE (if weather conditions prevent this, the visit will be rescheduled as determined by Selwyn). 

We wish to request evidence of designated visitors’ COVID-19 vaccination status in advance. Please email your proof of vaccination to the Village or Care Manager or call us if you would like to discuss further.

Aligned with Selwyn’s staff policy and the Government’s policy for the health and disability sector, non-vaccinated visitors will be permitted up to 1 December 2021 with extra precautions. These include:

• The visitor must provide a negative COVID-19 result 48-72 hours prior to the visit.
• The visitor will be required to wear full PPE during the visit and remain two metres apart from the resident for the duration of the visit (30 minutes).
• The visit will occur in a separate designated, outdoor area for unvaccinated visitors (except if a resident is critically ill or dying). If weather conditions prevent this, the visit will be rescheduled as determined by Selwyn.
• Beyond 1 December 2021, visits by unvaccinated visitors will only be permitted for residents who are critically ill or dying, with visitors wearing full PPE and arranged in advance with the Village or Care Manager.

No visitor will be allowed who is unwell/symptomatic, under investigation of COVID-19 or is a close contact of someone who is under investigation for COVID-19 or a confirmed COVID-19 case.

To recap, the above conditions are based on strict guidelines that have been issued by the Ministry of Health which allow for some latitude in granting visits for compassionate reasons according to our assessment of a resident’s overall health. Visits will be facilitated if we believe it would be beneficial for your family member to meet with their designated visitor. In the meantime, we will continue to ensure that alternative ways and means are available for families and whānau to maintain contact with their loved ones.

Thank you for your ongoing support at this time, as we continue our important work in maintaining a COVID-safe home for the vulnerable residents in our care.

Selwyn Park, Whangārei ​​- visiting to be introduced again from midday today, 20 October 2021

With the good news that Northland has moved to COVID-19 Alert Level 2, we're pleased to inform you that we’ll be able to welcome visitors again on a restricted basis from midday today. Please note, however, that – as Northland has a lower rate of community vaccination in general – we’ll have additional arrangements in place to reduce any possible risk of the extremely contagious Delta variant getting into our care environment and infecting our frail and vulnerable residents.

Our extra precautions include:

• Visits are to take place in a dedicated area outdoors, weather permitting (otherwise in the resident’s room – not in the communal areas).
• Any visitors who are unvaccinated must provide confirmation of a COVID-negative test result within 48 – 72 hrs prior to their visit. A new COVID-negative test will need to be completed every 72 hrs and the result provided prior to the next visit. Unvaccinated visitors will be provided with full PPE to wear during their visit, which will occur in a separate designated area outside for unvaccinated visitors and will be for 30 minutes only.

A reminder of our other processes for visiting at Level 2:

• Residents can have up to three designated family members or friends visit each day, but only one person to visit at a time.
• Visiting hours are between 9.00am – 5.00pm and can be 30 minutes long, but appointments are still necessary.
• Visitors are required to wear face masks, sign into the Visitor Management System and/or the paper-based declaration form and answer the various health declaration questions within the system, have their temperature taken, scan the QR code, and use hand sanitiser before going to see their relative/friend. Please be aware that you may be asked for evidence of vaccination when making your entry declaration.
• Residents will also be required to wear masks when outdoors, and physical distancing from other village residents, staff and visitors should be observed. We also ask that residents stay within the village grounds and are not taken off-site by family or friends.
• If family members feel unwell at all, they should postpone their visit.
• Certain exemptions will be made on compassionate grounds and for end of life care.
• Van trips and outings will resume, but residents will remain in the van and will be required to wear masks.

The Public Health advice to people in Northland is, if they’ve any symptoms of COVID-19 whatsoever – even if mild – they should get a test. This will provide assurance that there are no undetected cases circulating in the community. Northlanders who haven't yet been vaccinated should get their shot as soon as possible. As a general rule, of course, everyone must continue to follow all the public health guidance which includes wearing a face covering when outside the home, scanning and keeping a record of visits and travel, and keeping up physical distancing and good hygiene practices such as regular handwashing.

We would like to thank everyone in advance for their cooperation with our safety procedures, which we're sure you appreciate are intended to help keep our residents safe. We look forward to welcoming visitors again from midday. If you’ve any queries before then, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Selwyn Care Homes continue at their current restrictions.

Further to the Government’s announcement yesterday of no changes to current Alert Levels, we would like to remind residents and family members that, at this point, visiting restrictions remain in place for Auckland, Whangarei and Waikato villages. Please see the updates below for the specific details on these restrictions.

Thank you for your ongoing support at this time, we will provide another update when the Government changes Alert Levels. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact your Care Manager.

Please click on the headings below to find the latest updates for Selwyn Village, Selwyn Heights and Selwyn Oaks in Auckland, and Selwyn Park in Whangarei.

Clearly we are all disappointed with the announcement today with ongoing Alert level 3 lockdown in Auckland, (albeit a 3-step plan).

We are acutely aware of the pressures on families and residents of being apart from loved ones for such a prolonged period.  Unfortunately, however, Selwyn villages in Auckland will remain closed to all visitors until we receive the detail of the 3-step plan from Public Health. As soon as we have the detail from the Government, we will advise you of Selwyn’s approach.

Our Waikato villages remain at Alert Level 3 with no visitors as communicated yesterday.

Restrictions for Selwyn Wilson Carlile and Selwyn St Andrew's

Following the news this morning that two positive cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the Waikato – including in Hamilton – we regret to inform you that our care homes in Hamilton and Cambridge have now reintroduced our Selwyn Level 3 restrictions. This means, unfortunately, that residents will be unable to receive visitors for the foreseeable future, except for those whose loved ones are receiving end-of-life care.

This is on the advice received from the District Health Board this morning and is in line with our Selwyn Alert Level procedures.

Whilst there’s a heightened risk of community transmission, keeping all our residents safe from any risk of contracting the virus must be our priority.

Please do let us know if you need assistance with arranging telephone or zoom calls with your loved one. If you have any questions or concerns whatsoever, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Waikato Villages: Selwyn Wilson Carlile and Selwyn St Andrew's restricted visiting to be introduced again from midday tomorrow, 25 September 2021

As testing has confirmed that COVID-19 has not spread in Waikato’s Upper Hauraki, we are pleased to inform you that we will be able to welcome visitors again on a restricted basis from midday tomorrow as per our Selwyn Alert Level 2 protocols. Residents will therefore be able to have up to three designated family members or friends visit each day, but only one person is to visit at a time. 

As a reminder, our other precautions will include:

• Visiting hours will remain in place between 10am – 6pm.
• Visits will be an hour long, but appointments will still be necessary.
• Visitors will be required to wear face masks, sign into the Visitor Management System and / or the paper-based declaration form and answer the various health declaration questions within the system, have their temperature taken, scan the QR code, and use hand sanitiser before going to see their relative/friend.
• Visits are to be held in the resident’s room and not in the communal areas.
• Residents can go outside and around the village grounds for a breath of fresh air when family and friends visit. However, we ask that you do not enter the village communal areas and that both residents and visitors wear masks. Physical distancing from other village residents, staff and visitors should be observed. We would recommend that residents stay within the village and are not taken off-site by family or friends.
• If family members feel unwell at all, they should postpone their visit.
• Certain exemptions will be made on compassionate grounds and for end of life care.
• Van trips and outings will resume, with residents required to wear masks.

Our team members will still wear surgical masks and practise physical distancing as an ongoing precaution, unless providing personal cares to residents, and will continue to complete our mandatory health screening checks prior to starting each shift.

We look forward to welcoming visitors again from tomorrow. If you have any queries before then regarding the care of your loved one, please do not hesitate to contact your Care Manager.

Auckland remains at Alert Level 4, while the rest of the country continues at Alert Level 2 until Tuesday, 21 September 2021.

Selwyn has always taken a conservative approach to the risks associated with COVID-19 and while there is still a heightened risk of community transmissions, and more so now with this highly contagious Delta variant.

Click on the headings below to find more information on village Alert Levels.

The Government announced today that Auckland would remain at Alert Level 4, while the rest of the country would drop to Alert Level 2 from 11:59pm Tuesday, 7 September 2021.

Selwyn has always taken a conservative approach to the risks associated with COVID-19 and while there is still a heightened risk of community transmissions, and more so now with this highly contagious Delta variant, our villages will stay one level above the Govt Alert levels.

Click on the headings below to find more information on village Alert Levels.

All Selwyn villages remain closed to visitors until cabinet meets again on Monday 6 September 2021

Despite the Government’s announcement that New Zealand, south of Auckland and now Northland have dropped to Alert Level 3, all Selwyn villages and care homes will remain closed until cabinet meets again on Monday 6 September 2021.

Selwyn has always taken a conservative approach to the risks associated with COVID-19 and with community cases still across various regions, we will stay one level above the Govt Alert levels.

Whilst there’s still a heightened risk of community transmission the protection of your loved one, remains our priority. Unfortunately, this means our residents are still unable to receive visitors, except for those whose loved ones are receiving end-of-life care.

Please do let us know if you need assistance arranging telephone or zoom calls. Any questions or concerns, please contact your Care Manager.
We encourage you as we do our staff, to visit the Ministry of Health site daily, to view the current locations of interest.

Thank you for your ongoing support and patience as we continue to monitor developments. 

COVID Alert Level 4 lockdown - All Selwyn villages remain closed to visitors until further notice

The Government announced today that New Zealand will remain at COVID-19 Alert Level 4 until Friday, 27 August and Auckland until Tuesday, 31 August 2021.

All Selwyn villages and care homes remain closed until further notice. This means that, unfortunately, our residents will still be unable to receive visitors, except for those whose loved ones are receiving end-of-life care.

As in the past, Selwyn alert levels have lagged the Governments, and we will continue this in order to keep all those in our care as safe as possible. We thank you in advance for your support and patience.

We will continue to assist you in arranging telephone or zoom calls so you can contact your loved ones over the period. Any questions or concerns, please contact your Care Manager.

With the mounting number of COVID cases, we also encourage you to visit the Ministry of Health site daily, to view the current locations of interest.

We continue to monitor developments and will be in touch if anything changes.
Keep safe.

All Selwyn villages will remain closed to visitors until cabinet meets again on Monday 6 September 2021

Despite the Government’s announcement that New Zealand, south of Auckland will drop to Alert Level 3 at midnight tomorrow night, 31 August 2021, all Selwyn villages and care homes will remain closed until cabinet meets again on Monday 6 September 2021.

Selwyn has always taken a conservative approach to the risks associated with COVID-19 and with community cases still across various regions, we will stay one level above the Govt Alert levels.

Whilst there’s still a heightened risk of community transmission the protection of your loved one, remains our priority. Unfortunately, this means our residents are still unable to receive visitors, except for those whose loved ones are receiving end-of-life care.

Please do let us know if you need assistance arranging telephone or zoom calls. Any questions or concerns, please contact your Care Manager.
We encourage you as we do our staff, to visit the Ministry of Health site daily, to view the current locations of interest.

Thank you for your ongoing support and patience as we continue to monitor developments. 

All Selwyn villages will remain closed to visitors beyond Tuesday, 31 August 2021

Despite the Government’s announcement that New Zealand, south of Auckland may drop to Level 3 at midnight Tuesday, 31 August 2021, all Selwyn villages and care homes will still remain closed until further notice.

This means that, unfortunately, our residents will still be unable to receive visitors, except for those whose loved ones are receiving end-of-life care.

With a COVID-19 case identified in a rest home in Warkworth, we simply can’t run the risk of COVID-19 infiltrating our villages. Whilst there’s still a heightened risk of community transmission the protection of your loved one, remains our priority.

Please do let us know if you need assistance arranging telephone or zoom calls. Any questions or concerns, please contact your Care Manager.
We encourage you as we do our staff, to visit the Ministry of Health site daily, to view the current locations of interest.

We continue to monitor developments and will be in touch if anything changes.
We thank you for your ongoing support and patience.

COVID Alert Level 4 lockdown - All Selwyn villages closed to visitors until further notice

The Government announced today that New Zealand will enter COVID-19 Alert Level 4 from 11.59pm this evening for a minimum of three days and seven days for Auckland and Coromandel. Due to the increased risk of community transmission we have now closed all Selwyn villages and care homes to family members, except for those whose loved ones are receiving end-of-life care.

This means that, unfortunately, our residents will be unable to receive any visitors until further notice. All our staff will be wearing surgical masks and practising physical distancing, unless providing personal care.

We understand that you may want to speak to your loved one at this time, and we will do everything to assist you in arranging telephone or zoom calls so you can contact your loved ones over the period. Any questions or concerns, please contact your Care Manager.

We’ll be monitoring developments and will be in touch if anything changes.
Stay safe.

This message was reviewed 20 August 2021 and our villages still remain closed until further notice.

Updated 23 July 2021

Added COVID safety precautions to be taken for visitors returning from Australia

Due to a growing number of COVID-19 cases across Australia, it has been announced today that quarantine-free travel with all of Australia will be paused for at least eight weeks from 11.59pm tonight. The Ministry of Health’s assessment of the situation in Australia is that, whilst the health risk to New Zealand is low, it is continuing to increase. COVID-19 cases in various Australian states are predominantly of the highly transmissible Delta variant.

We are therefore adding another layer of protection to safeguard our residents and to reduce any possible risk of the infection entering our village and care environments. Anyone returning from Australia from today - and until the travel bubble is reinstated - is asked not to visit any of our retirement villages or care homes until 14 days after their arrival in New Zealand and/or 14 days after they leave a managed isolation or quarantine (MIQ) facility.

This applies only to those who are returning from any state in Australia from today (23 July) and for the next two months at least. Whilst it does not apply to people who have returned in the last 14 days (prior to today’s announcement) from states that were ‘green’, we would request that these visitors wear a mask at all times when on site.

We will of course consider any exceptional circumstances on a ‘case by case’ basis and certain exemptions may be made on compassionate grounds. In this event, please speak to the village or care manager to make special arrangements, which will also include wearing a mask or other PPE for the duration of the visit.

Selwyn Sprott, Wellington - remaining visiting restrictions to be lifted from today

As there have been no cases of community transmission in Wellington as a result of the recent traveller from Sydney having tested positive, we are pleased to advise that we are lifting many of our current visiting restrictions from today and will be operating under our Selwyn Alert Level 1 procedures. Under Level 1: 

• There will be no restriction on the number of visitors per resident or on the time or duration of their visit. Appointments are no longer necessary.
• Visitors will not be required to wear a surgical mask or face covering.
• Visitors will still need to sign into the Visitor Management System and answer the various health declaration questions within the system, scan the QR code, wear their identification label and use hand sanitiser before going to see their relative/friend. They will no longer be required to have their temperature taken.
• Visits can take place either in the resident’s room or in a communal area.
• Residents and families will be able to enter the village communal areas; however, mask wearing and physical distancing from other village residents, staff and visitors will still be encouraged.
• Visitors can take residents off the village site, but will be given a contact tracing form to complete and hand back on return.

Our staff will dispense with wearing surgical masks, unless a resident is unwell, but will continue to complete our mandatory Health Declaration Form and have their temperature taken before starting each shift. Cohort nursing within designated areas of the care home will also come to an end. Despite the easing of restrictions, please be assured that we will continue to carefully monitor the health of our residents and will keep a close watch to ensure that residents’ condition does not alter at any point.

The move to Level 1 will enable us to welcome back our volunteers and external activity providers. However, they will need to comply with our strict health screening and signing-in procedures and to observe all the recommended infection prevention and control precautions.

Finally, a reminder that, if family members feel unwell at all, please postpone your visit to our care home for another day. If you begin to develop cold, flu or COVID-like symptoms, do call your doctor or Healthline on 0800 358 5453 to see if you need to get a test.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Selwyn Sprott, Wellington - visiting restrictions to be eased further from tomorrow

As the threat of COVID-19 community transmission in Wellington appears to be diminishing, we would like to advise you that we will be relaxing some of our current visiting restrictions from tomorrow and will be operating under our Selwyn Alert Level 2 procedures.

Under Level 2:  

• Residents can have up to three nominated family members or friends visit each day, but only one person is to visit at a time. Visiting hours remain in place between 10am – 6pm.
• There are no restrictions on length of visit, but appointments are still necessary.
• Visitors are still required to wear face masks, sign into the Visitor Management System and answer the various health declaration questions within the system, have their temperature taken, scan the QR code, and use hand sanitiser before going to see their relative/friend.
• Visits are to be held in the resident’s room and not in the communal areas.
• Residents can go outside and around the village grounds for a breath of fresh air when family and friends visit. However, we ask that you do not enter the village communal areas and that both residents and visitors wear masks. Physical distancing from other village residents, staff and visitors should be observed. We would recommend that residents stay within the village and are not taken off-site by family or friends.
• If family members feel unwell at all, they should postpone their visit.
• We will of course make certain exemptions on compassionate grounds and for end of life care.
• Van trips and outings will resume, with residents required to wear masks.

We’ll review this again in another seven days within the context of any new cases that may be detected in the community.

Thank you, as ever, for your compliance with our important infection prevention and control protocols. Please do not hesitate to get in touch, if there is any further assistance we can provide in the care of your loved one.

Introduction of phased re-opening to visitors from Wednesday - Selwyn Sprott, Wellington

With the news that Wellington will drop to Alert Level 1 from midnight Tuesday, we are pleased to advise that we will also slightly relax our lockdown restrictions and will move to Selwyn Alert Level 3 on Wednesday. This means that, whilst we will continue to maintain our precautionary approach, residents will be able to have two nominated visitors – but with just one person visiting at any one time.

Other precautions include:

• Visits will be by appointment only and between the hours of 10.00am – 6.00pm.
• Visits must be of one hour duration only and take place in the resident’s room – not within the communal areas.
• Visitors and residents will be required to wear an appropriate face covering/mask at all times.
• Visitors must sign into the Visitor Management System and scan the QR code at the entrance, have their temperature taken, wear their identification label and sanitise their hands before moving through the care home to see their relative/friend.
• Residents can go outside and around the village grounds for a breath of fresh air when family and friends visit. However, we ask that you do not enter the village communal areas and that both residents and visitors wear masks. Physical distancing from other village residents, staff and visitors should be observed.
• We will be unable to offer van trips or welcome back any of our volunteers, external providers or visiting entertainers for the time being.
• Certain exemptions will be made on compassionate grounds and in relation to end of life care.

Our team members will continue to wear masks as an ongoing precaution.

We will review this again on Friday, 2 July, within the context of any new cases that may be detected in the community.

We are very pleased to be able to introduce this phased re-opening to family and friends and look forward to seeing everyone again.

Selwyn Sprott, Wellington, COVID Alert Level 4 lockdown precautions extended until Monday, 5 July

Following the news over the weekend that the partner and travelling companion of the infected Sydney tourist who had visited Wellington has now contracted COVID-19, after initially testing negative, we believe it highly prudent to extend the closure of our Selwyn Sprott care home until next Monday, 5 July.

It is of concern that the Sydney cases have contracted the highly transmissible Delta variant. Furthermore, it now seems that two contacts of a Northern Territory miner with Covid-19 have since travelled to New Zealand.

For this reason – and to err on the side of caution – the village will remain closed to visitors for another week. Extending our closure until next Monday will allow us to wait out a full 14 day cycle. During this time, the results from Day-12 testing of members of the public who were at risk of exposure will be made available and any potential community transmission will become apparent.

We understand how frustrating this news will be for our residents and families alike, but it is most important that we do everything to reduce any possible threat of the infection entering our care environment. We would like to thank you for your ongoing patience and understanding as we work to keep our residents safe.

If you are particularly concerned about the effect that the extended closure might be having on your family member, please do not hesitate to contact our Village and Care Manager.

We would urge everyone to continue following the Minstry of Health’s advice as regards protecting yourself and others from COVID. Please contact Healthline about having a test, if you think you were in the vicinity of the locations of interest during the times in question. Likewise, if you have cold and flu-like symptoms, or have a few aches and pains, please see if you need to get a test.

We will update you again next Monday as to the next steps. Until then, if we can provide any assistance with coordinating video or phone calls to your loved one, or if you would like an update as to how they’re keeping, please call the care wing where they reside so this can be arranged.

COVID Alert Level 4 lockdown precautions at Selwyn Sprott village to be extended at least until Monday, 28 June

Selwyn Sprott village will continue to be closed to visitors at least until Monday 28 June, due to the heightened risk of exposure to COVID-19 in the Greater Wellington area.

This will allow some additional time for more tests to be carried out for those members of the public who had visited the locations of interest. We believe that it is important for these test results to be known before we can consider any possible relaxation of our restrictions.

Therefore, the village will remain closed to visitors and non-essential personnel over the weekend (except for those whose loved ones are receiving end-of-life care). We will provide another update on Monday afternoon, following the latest advice from the Ministry of Health.

We would like to thank families for their patience and understanding at this time. In closing the care home, we are protecting the frail residents in our care and reducing any possible risk of the virus coming into our safe haven.

Please do continue to make contact with your loved ones via phone or video call. If we can help in facilitating this in any way, our team at Selwyn Sprott will be happy to assist.

COVID Alert Level 4 lockdown precautions introduced for Selwyn Sprott village in Wellington.

Following news that the Greater Wellington region will be at Alert Level 2 from 6.00pm today until 11:59pm on Sunday 27 June, we wish to advise you that we’ve now closed our Selwyn Sprott care home to all visitors and have initiated our Alert Level 4 precautions due to the heightened risk of community transmission and the current COVID variant. The village will be closed to family members, other visitors, volunteers, student nurses and non-essential personnel until Friday 25 June, when we will reassess and provide a further update after 1.00pm, (except for those whose loved ones are receiving end-of-life care). 

Our team members at Selwyn Sprott are now wearing surgical masks and are practising physical distancing, unless providing personal cares to residents, and are continuing to complete our mandatory health status checks prior to starting each shift. In addition, we’ve implemented cohort nursing and will be closely monitoring for any changes in residents’ health. Any residents who become unwell or appear to be symptomatic will be cared for in isolation in their room until they’re cleared by the GP or returned a negative COVID test result.

In light of the recent positive case and the number of locations in Wellington which the person had visited (all details are available on the Ministry of Health website), any of our staff members who may also have visited any of those venues within the relevant timeframe have been placed on discretionary leave in order for them to be tested. Likewise, any staff who develop cold or flu-like symptoms in the interim will be stood down until they’ve been tested, returned a negative result and are clear of symptoms for 48 hours.

We understand that family members will be anxious to hear about how their loved one is doing over this period. You are of course welcome to phone and speak to your relative at any time, and our staff will do everything possible to help you keep in touch virtually through the other technological means at our disposal. Please do let your Care Manager know what your preferred method of contact is and when you would like to speak to your relative, and we’ll do everything we can to make it happen.

We’ll also be focussed on providing an enhanced programme of engagement in life activities (with the exception of minivan outings, which will need to be cancelled for the time being unfortunately), and making sure that everyone feels involved and part of our wider, caring community of residents and staff.

As a reminder to all our care families, washing your hands regularly, having the NZ Covid tracer app on your phone and enabling Bluetooth tracing, scanning QR codes, and staying home if you’re unwell is the best way to prevent any possible risk of spreading the virus. Anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms should also get a test and self-isolate until they receive the result. Those who may be travelling elsewhere in New Zealand shouldn’t wait until they get home to be tested - the Healthpoint website has details of all the COVID-19 testing locations around the country.

We'd like to reassure you that Selwyn is taking a highly precautionary approach in the face of this ever present threat, in order to protect the vulnerable residents in our care. We’ll review the situation on Friday and will update you then on any changes to our Alert Level.

Should you have any immediate queries or concerns about your loved one’s care and wellbeing, or would like to discuss any other issue, please don’t hesitate to contact Selwyn Sprott's Interim Village Manager, Barbara Long, 

Visiting precautions to be introduced following COVID-19 lockdown in Victoria, Australia

Further to the news today that the Victorian government has put the state in lockdown for a week to contain the outbreak of a highly infectious strain of the COVID-19 virus in Melbourne, we wish to introduce the following precaution for potential visitors.

If any family members have been in Victoria within the last 14 days (or have been in close contact with anyone who has returned from Victoria or has visited the state in the last 14 days), please can we ask that you do not visit our care homes for at least 14 days following your return to New Zealand.

Should a visit be necessary on compassionate grounds, intending visitors will be required to contact the care home manager in advance and wear a face mask for the duration of their visit. Visits may only take place within the resident’s room and not in any communal areas.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this emergency measure, which is necessary to ensure that we can protect our vulnerable residents in light of the escalating situation in Victoria.

If you have any queries as to how this affects you and your particular circumstances, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Remaining visiting restrictions to be lifted from midday today

As there have been no recent cases of community transmission in Auckland, we're pleased to advise that we’ll be lifting many of our current visiting restrictions from midday today and will be operating under our Alert Level 1 procedures.

Under Level 1:  

• There will be no restriction on the number of visitors per resident or on the time or duration of their visit. Appointments are no longer necessary.
• Visitors will not be required to wear a surgical mask or face covering.
• Visitors will still need to sign into the Visitor Management System and answer the various health declaration questions within the system, scan the QR code, wear their identification label and use hand sanitiser before going to see their relative/friend. They will no longer be required to have their temperature taken.
• Visits can take place either in the resident’s room or in a communal area.
• Residents and families will be able to enter the village communal areas; however, mask wearing and physical distancing from other village residents, staff and visitors will still be encouraged.
• Visitors can take residents off the village site, but will be given a contact tracing form to complete and hand back on return.
• Whilst our worship services have continued on a limited basis, residents will now be able to attend services in the chapel.

Our staff will dispense with wearing surgical masks, unless a resident is unwell, but will continue to complete our mandatory Health Declaration Form and have their temperature taken before starting each shift. Cohort nursing within designated areas of the care home/households will also come to an end. Despite the easing of restrictions, please be assured that we’ll continue to carefully monitor the health of our residents and will keep a close watch to ensure that residents’ condition does not alter at any point.

The move to Level 1 will enable us to welcome back our volunteers and external activity providers, such as visiting entertainers and guest speakers. However, they’ll need to comply with our strict health screening and signing-in procedures and to observe all the recommended infection prevention and control precautions such as good hand hygiene and coughing and sneezing etiquette.

Finally, a reminder that, if family members feel unwell at all, please postpone your visit to our care home for another day. If you begin to develop cold, flu or COVID-like symptoms, do call your doctor or Healthline on 0800 358 5453 to see if you need to get a test.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact your Care Manager.

Care homes move to Alert Level 2 in Auckland and Alert Level 1 outside Auckland

Today the Government announced that the Auckland region is to move to COVID-19 Alert Level 1 from midday. Find out what this means for our Care Homes below.

Selwyn’s Auckland care homes move to Alert Level 3 and Alert Level 2 outside Auckland

The Government announced today that Auckland is to move to Alert Level 2 at 6:00am Sunday morning and the rest of New Zealand to Alert Level 1. This will be revisited in 7 days.  

Our Auckland based care homes from 6:00am Sunday will drop to Alert Level 3 and those outside Auckland to Alert Level 2. These precautions are in line with the NZACA’s established advice.

You'll find more details below.

Auckland villages closed. Outside Auckland villages moved to Alert Level 3

Following the Government’s announcement last night that Auckland is to move to Alert Level 3 at 6:00am this morning and the rest of New Zealand to Alert Level 2 for the next 7 days, we have now closed all our Auckland based Selwyn villages and care homes to all visitors and have initiated our Alert Level 4 precautions due to the heightened risk of community transmission.

Those Selwyn villages and care homes outside Auckland have been moved to Alert Level 3. These precautions are in line with the NZACA’s established advice.

You'll find more details below.

Auckland region to join the country at COVID-19 Alert Level 1 from 11.59pm

Following Cabinet’s decision today to move Auckland to COVID Alert Level 1 from midnight tonight, we're pleased to announce that our care homes will re-open for visiting from tomorrow morning. Please see the drop down list below for information on our care homes within our Auckland Villages - Selwyn Village, Selwyn Heights and Selwyn Oaks - as well as for our Northland, Waikato and Wellington villages - Selwyn Park, Selwyn Wilson Carlile, Selwyn St Andrew's and Selwyn Sprott.

Auckland region has now moved to COVID-19 Alert Level 2 and the rest of the country to Level 1

Please see the drop down list below for information on our care homes within our Auckland Villages - Selwyn Village, Selwyn Heights and Selwyn Oaks - as well as for our Northland, Waikato and Wellington villages - Selwyn Park, Selwyn Wilson Carlile, Selwyn St Andrew's and Selwyn Sprott.

Alert Level 4 lockdown for all Auckland Selwyn villages and care homes 

Alert Level 3 lockdown for Selwyn villages outside of Auckland

Following the Government’s announcement this evening that Auckland is to move to Alert Level 3 at 11:59pm and the rest of New Zealand to Alert Level 2 for 72 hours, we have now closed all our Auckland based Selwyn villages and care homes to all visitors and have initiated our Alert Level 4 precautions due to the heightened risk of community transmission.

Those Selwyn villages and care homes outside Auckland have been moved to Alert Level 3. These precautions are in line with the NZACA’s established advice.

Alert Level 4 for Auckland means:
(includes Selwyn Village, Selwyn Heights, Hansen Close & Selwyn House & Selwyn Oaks)

• Our villages and care homes will be closed to all visitors
• Our care home teams must wear masks.
  (Note: Visits for residents receiving palliative or end-of-life care will still be permitted. Please contact the Care Manager to make arrangements.

Alert Level 3 for Whangarei, Hamilton, Cambridge and Wellington means:
(includes Selwyn Park, Selwyn Wilson Carlile, Selwyn St Andrew’s & Selwyn Sprott)

Only 2 nominated visitors per resident may visit our care homes and only one at a time. To visit, you must book a time with the Care Manager and follow our hygiene protocols. If you are not feeling well, stay away. On arrival you are required to:

• scan the Govt QR code
• sign in using our Visitor Management System
• sanitise your hands
• ensure you are wearing your mask

You are of course welcome to phone and speak to your relative at any time over the next 72 hours, and our staff will do everything possible to help you keep in touch virtually through the other technological means at our disposal.

We'd like to reassure you that Selwyn is taking a highly precautionary approach in the face of this ever present threat, in order to protect the residents in our care. We will keep a close watch on developments, and be in touch should anything change.

Should you have an immediate query or concern about your loved one’s care and wellbeing, or would like to discuss any other issue, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Visitors to our care homes no longer required to wear face masks

As the Ministry of Health currently considers the risk of contracting COVID-19 in the community to be low, we’ve relaxed our requirement for visitors to wear masks when visiting our care homes. Therefore, you will not need to wear a face covering when visiting your relative.

However, if you feel unwell at all, please postpone your visit for the time being. It’s especially important that you don’t visit your loved one if you develop any cold- or flu-like symptoms; in this case, please contact Healthline on 0800 358 5453 to understand if you need to get tested for COVID-19.

The locations of interest relating to the earlier Auckland and Northland community cases are available on the Ministry of Health website. Anyone who visited one of the listed locations during the relevant timeframe should not visit our care homes but contact Healthline for advice.

Additionally, if any prospective visitors have travelled back to New Zealand and recently left a managed isolation hotel or quarantine, please let the Care Manager know in advance of the intended visit, so we can review any additional precautions that we might need to take in order to accommodate their visit.

As always, when visiting, please check in using our Visitor Management System, scan the QR code on display and use hand sanitiser before going to see your loved one/friend. In your general day-to-day activities, you can protect yourself and others by always practising good hand hygiene, coughing/sneezing into your elbow, having Bluetooth tracing turned on in the NZ COVID Tracer app and scanning QR codes wherever you go. Also, it’s important to be wary of misinformation about COVID on social media and only share information from official sources. Accurate and timely information can be found on the Unite Against COVID-19 website and the Ministry of Health website.

Thank you for your support and assistance, as we continue to adapt our processes and procedures in accordance with the current risk level and work together to beat COVID-19.  

Alert Levels in all Selwyn villages are at Level 1.5 including Selwyn Park care home, Whangarei

29 January 2021

As there have been no further community cases of COVID-19 reported in Northland, Auckland or elsewhere in the country today, all our care homes including Selwyn Park in Whangarei are open for visiting, providing visitors wear a mask at all times when they are at the villages.

As a further precaution, if family members have visited within a certain timeframe any of the ‘high risk’ locations listed by the Ministry of Health – or you have a close contact who has – please would you postpone any planned visit to our care homes for the time being. The current list of locations is available on the Ministry of Health's website.

The Ministry of Health advises that, although there’s a low risk of exposure, anyone who visited these locations during the relevant times should stay at home and contact Healthline on 0800 358 5453 to understand if and when they need to get tested. If individuals begin to feel unwell or start to develop COVID-19 symptoms, they should get a test immediately and stay at home until they receive a negative test result back.

If you are unwell at all, we ask that you do not visit our care homes – to be on the safe side.

In addition, if any prospective visitors have travelled back to New Zealand and have recently left a managed isolation hotel or quarantine, please can you let the Care Manager of the care home know in advance of their intended visit, so we can review any additional precautions that might need to be taken in order to accommodate their visit.

We look forward to welcoming family members, wearing the appropriate face coverings. Please would visitors continue to check in using the Visitor Management System, answer the health declaration questions within the system, scan the QR code at the care home entrance, wear their identification label and use hand sanitiser before moving through the care home to see their loved one/friend.

Thank you for your ongoing cooperation and compliance with these important infection control and prevention procedures.

Visitors now required to wear face masks as an additional protection against the heightened risk of COVID

Updates for our Auckland, Waikato, and Wellington care homes

26 January 2021

Following the Ministry of Health’s confirmation of a positive COVID-19 test result in Northland, we wish to advise you that visitors to our care homes in Auckland, the Waikato and in Wellington are now required to wear a mask at all times for at least the next fourteen days due to the heightened risk of community transmission.

As a further precaution, any residents who become unwell or appear to be symptomatic will be cared for in isolation in their room until they’re cleared by the GP or returned a negative COVID test result.

Our staff are now also wearing surgical masks. In light of the recent positive case and the number of locations which the person had visited, any of our team members who may also have visited any of those venues within the relevant timeframe have been placed on discretionary leave in order for them to be tested. Likewise, any staff who develop cold or flu-like symptoms in the interim will be stood down until they’ve been tested, returned a negative result and are clear of symptoms for 48 hours.

If any family members visited any of the locations listed by the Ministry of Health which are considered to be at risk of COVID-19 community transmission during the timeframes in question, please would you contact your care manager before visiting the care home. The current list of locations of interest are available on the MOH website. 

As a reminder to all our care families, washing your hands regularly, having the NZ Covid tracer app on your phone and enabling Bluetooth tracing, scanning QR codes, and staying home if you’re unwell is the best way to prevent any possible risk of spreading the virus. Anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms should also get a test and self-isolate until they receive the result. Those who may be holidaying elsewhere in New Zealand shouldn’t wait until they get home to be tested; the Healthpoint website has details of all the COVID-19 testing locations around the country.

Although the confirmed case has been reported in Northland, due to the holiday period and the increased frequency of people travelling around the regions, we prefer to take a precautionary approach in the face of this ever present threat in order to protect the vulnerable residents in our care.

We’ll review the situation again after this initial fourteen-day period and will update you then on any changes to our Alert Level. Should you have an immediate query or concern about your loved one’s care and wellbeing, or would like to discuss any other issue, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Alert Level 4 lockdown precautions re-introduced for Selwyn Park care home, Whangarei

25 January 2021

Following the Ministry of Health’s confirmation of a positive COVID-19 test result in Northland, we wish to advise family members and friends of our care residents at Selwyn Park that we’ve now closed our care home to all visitors and have initiated our Alert Level 4 precautions due to the heightened risk of community transmission. Our care home will be closed to family members, other visitors, volunteers, student nurses and non-essential personnel for at least the next fourteen days, except for those whose loved ones are receiving end-of-life care.  

We’ve introduced a precautionary admissions process for new residents coming into our care home and for our staff who attend to them. Our team members are now wearing surgical masks and are practising physical distancing, unless providing personal cares to residents, and are continuing to complete our mandatory health status checks prior to starting each shift. In addition, we’ve implemented cohort nursing and will be closely monitoring for any changes in residents’ health. Any residents who become unwell or appear to be symptomatic will be cared for in isolation in their room until they’re cleared by the GP or returned a negative COVID test result.

In light of the recent positive case and the number of locations in Northland which the person had visited, any of our staff members who may also have visited any of those venues within the relevant timeframe have been placed on discretionary leave in order for them to be tested. Likewise, any staff who develop cold or flu-like symptoms in the interim will be stood down until they’ve been tested, returned a negative result and are clear of symptoms for 48 hours. Any staff members who are considered to be in the vulnerable category (ie, aged 70-plus or with health conditions) have also been stood down with pay and supported with welfare services.

We understand that family members will be anxious to hear about how their loved one is doing over the two-week lockdown period. You are of course welcome to phone and speak to your relative at any time, and our staff will do everything possible to help you keep in touch virtually through the other technological means at our disposal. Please do let us know what your preferred method of contact is and when you would like to speak to your relative, and we’ll do everything we can to make it happen. 

We’ll also be focussed on providing an enhanced programme of engagement in life interests and activities (with the exception of minivan outings, which will need to be cancelled for the time being unfortunately), and making sure that everyone feels involved and part of our wider, caring community of residents and staff.

As a reminder to all our care families, washing your hands regularly, having the NZ Covid tracer app on your phone and enabling Bluetooth tracing, scanning QR codes, and staying home if you’re unwell is the best way to prevent any possible risk of spreading the virus. Anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms should also get a test and self-isolate until they receive the result. Those who may be holidaying elsewhere in New Zealand shouldn’t wait until they get home to be tested; the Healthpoint website has details of all the COVID-19 testing locations around the country.

We'd like to reassure you that Selwyn is taking a highly precautionary approach in the face of this ever present threat, in order to protect the vulnerable residents in our care. We’ll review the situation again after this initial fourteen-day lockdown period and will update you then on any changes to our Alert Level. Should you have an immediate query or concern about your loved one’s care and wellbeing, or would like to discuss any other issue, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Reminder to remain vigilant

Location:

All Selwyn village sites throughout New Zealand

The current situation is:

As you are aware countries like the UK and the USA have reached crisis point given the new more contagious strains of the coronavirus now sweeping the globe. We in New Zealand are in the enviable position of having been able to celebrate Christmas and the New Year with our families and friends, and long may this last.

Here at Selwyn we remain on high alert to ensure that you and your loved ones remain safe from the virus.

If you have family arriving in New Zealand from overseas, we ask that they do not enter our villages for an additional 14 days upon completing their compulsory 14 day isolation in a MIQ facility, as well as providing proof of a negative COVID test result.

If you have moved jobs and now work at the border, in MIQ facilities or front line health care, have come in contact with international travellers, or with someone with COVID, or have been unwell the same rule applies. We ask that you remain out of our villages for a period of 14 days after receiving a negative COVID test result.

It is our greatest hope that we continue to keep our residents and staff safe while we await the arrival of the COVID vaccine.

When entering our villages please continue to:

1. check in at reception via our Visitor Management System or by using the My NZ COVID Tracer booklet
2. scan the QR code at the care home entrance using the COVID-19 Tracer app
3. wear your identification label
4. use hand sanitiser before moving through the care home to see your loved one.

Thank you for your ongoing cooperation and vigilance and needless to say, if you need to seek dispensation on compassionate grounds, please do talk with your Care Manager. We rely on your honesty to assist us in protecting our most vulnerable.

Location:

All Selwyn village sites throughout Auckland

The current situation is:

As of 1 December 2020, you will not need to wear a mask when visiting your relative at any of our Auckland care homes, as the incidence of community transmission has again reduced. This will also apply to our care staff. 

However, please do continue to:

• check in at reception via our Visitor Management System
• scan the QR code at the care home entrance using the COVID-19 Tracer app
• wear your identification label
• use hand sanitiser before moving through the care home to see your loved one/friend.

Thank you for your ongoing cooperation and compliance with these important infection control and prevention procedures.

Visitor restrictions for rest home, hospital and dementia care

6:30pm Thursday, 12 November 2020

Location:

All Selwyn village sites throughout Auckland

The current situation is:

In view of the growing risk of community transmission that has now been reported in Auckland - we’re reintroducing with immediate effect the following visiting restrictions for our care homes across all our village sites throughout Auckland.

From today, all visitors will be required to:

• Wear a mask/face covering for the duration of their visit 
• Continue to check in using the Visitor Management System, answer the health declaration questions within the system, scan the QR code at the care home entrance, wear their identification label and use hand sanitiser before moving through the care home to see their loved one/friend.

Our residential care staff will also be wearing surgical masks as from today.

It’s unfortunate that we’re having to reintroduce these restrictions so soon, but it’s important that we react promptly to this ever evolving COVID situation and the continuing threat of community transmission.

Visiting can still take place in the resident’s bedroom or in a communal area. If taking residents off the village site, visitors will be given a contact tracing form to complete and hand back on the resident’s return; residents should be encouraged to wear a mask at all times when in public places.

We will review the situation again tomorrow if the Alert Level increases.

If you’ve been to any of the venues in Auckland where new COVID-19 cases have been reported, please do not visit our care homes. If you feel just slightly unwell or have cold or flu symptoms, call your doctor or Healthline on 0800 358 5453 to see if you need a test. Staying at home if you’re sick is especially important at Alert Level 1, as the risk of COVID-19 being spread in the community is much greater when there are no restrictions on gatherings or going out.

Next update:

We will review the situation again on Friday, 13 November 2020 or if the Alert Level increases. 

Many thanks for your patience and understanding at this time.

Restrictions lifted for residential care

As there have been no further cases of community transmission in the North Island, visitors to our care homes will not now be required to wear masks or have their temperature checked as of 7 November 2020.  The restriction of visiting hours to 10.00am - 6.00pm will also be lifted.

Please would visitors continue to check in using the Visitor Management System, scan the QR code on display and use hand sanitiser before going to see a resident.

If taking residents off the village site, visitors will be given a contact tracing form to complete and hand back on the resident’s return; residents should be encouraged to wear a mask at all times when in public places or if they’re likely to come into contact with people they don’t know.

If you’ve any questions or concerns at any time, please don’t hesitate to contact your Care Manager.

Update for residential care residents, family, and friends

Residential care to remain at current Alert Levels until at least Wednesday, 16 September

On Friday, the Prime Minister announced the country will remain at Alert Level 2, and Auckland at Level 2.5, until at least 11:59pm on Wednesday 16 September.

We wanted to let family and friends know our Selwyn villages will also remain in their current Alert Levels, which is Level 3 for residential care in Auckland and Waikato, and Level 2 for Northland and Wellington.

While the current Auckland cluster continues to turn out new cases, it also appears to be contained. The Prime Minister will make her next announcement about Alert Levels on September 14th, so we will be in touch again to outline what this means for our villages.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Care Manager.

Visiting restrictions will continue across our care homes

Following our decision last Friday to reintroduce a number of visiting restrictions across all our care homes, we wish to confirm that these will continue until Saturday, 7 November 2020.  

As the last reported case of COVID-19 in the community was on 23 October, our timeframe will allow for a 14-day cycle to elapse, during which any related cases in the community should be detected.

Therefore, until 7 November, please would all visitors continue to wear a mask/face covering whilst visiting and have their temperature checked on arrival at the care home. Please also check in using the Visitor Management System, scan the QR code on display and use hand sanitiser before going to see a resident. Visiting will be between the hours of 10.00am and 6.00pm only.

Our staff will also continue to wear masks for the duration of this 14-day period, whilst there may still be a risk of COVID re-appearing in the community.

Residents are at liberty to move freely around their care home and village site, but are encouraged to wear a face covering if leaving the village or if likely to come into contact with people they don’t know.

Once again, thank you for your cooperation and assistance, as we work to keep our residents safe from this virus. Hopefully, no further community cases will materialise over the next week or so, in which case we will be able to relax our remaining visiting restrictions.

If you have any queries regarding our response to COVID at this time, please talk to your care manager.

Visitor restrictions for rest home, hospital and dementia care

In view of the growing risk of community transmission that has now been reported in Auckland - and people’s increased movements and travel over the long weekend – we’re reintroducing with immediate effect the following visiting restrictions for our care homes across all our village sites throughout the North Island.

From today, all visitors will be required to:

• Wear a mask/face covering for the duration of their visit 
• Have their temperature checked on arrival at the care home by a member of staff
• Visit only between the hours of 10.00am and 6.00pm
• Continue to check in using the Visitor Management System, answer the health declaration questions within the system, scan the QR code at the care home entrance, wear their identification label and use hand sanitiser before moving through the care home to see their loved one/friend.

Our staff will also be wearing surgical masks as from today.

It’s unfortunate that we’re having to reintroduce these restrictions so soon, but it’s important that we react promptly to this ever evolving COVID situation and the continuing threat of community transmission.

Visitors will not need to make an appointment to visit, and visiting can still take place in the resident’s bedroom or in a communal area. If taking residents off the village site, visitors will be given a contact tracing form to complete and hand back on the resident’s return; residents should be encouraged to wear a mask at all times when in public places.

If you’ve been to any of the venues in Auckland where new COVID-19 cases have been reported, please do not visit our care home. If you feel just slightly unwell or have cold or flu symptoms, call your doctor or Healthline on 0800 358 5453 to see if you need a test. Staying at home if you’re sick is especially important at Alert Level 1, as the risk of COVID-19 being spread in the community is much greater when there are no restrictions on gatherings or going out.

Next update:

We will review the situation again on Tuesday, 27 October 2020 or if the Alert Level increases over the weekend. 
Many thanks for your patience and understanding at this time.

Update for Auckland residential care residents, family, and friends

Auckland care homes will move to COVID-19 Alert Level 1 from Friday, 23 October 2020

We’re pleased to advise that our care homes will be moving to full Alert Level 1 this week, and we’ll be lifting many of the restrictions on visiting and other practices that had been put in place. From Friday, 23 October, the following will apply:

• Restrictions on visiting hours will cease, and visitors will no longer need to make an appointment.
• Visitors will still be required to sign into the Visitor Management System and scan the QR code at the care home entrance, answer the health declaration questions within the system, wear their identification label and use hand sanitiser before moving through the care home to see their relative/friend.
• Visitors will no longer need to have their temperature taken by a staff member.
• Visitors may continue to wear a surgical mask/face covering if they wish to do so, but it will not be compulsory.
• Visiting can take place in the resident’s bedroom or in a communal area.

• If taking residents off the village site, visitors will still be given a contact tracing form to complete and hand back on the resident’s return.

• Residents are encouraged to continue wearing a mask/face covering if they’re out and about around the village site and, especially, if they go outside the village.
• Residents will be able to attend the village chapel services (the applicable infection prevention protocols will be in place).

Our staff will dispense with wearing surgical masks, unless a resident is unwell, but will continue to complete our mandatory Health Declaration Form and have their temperature taken before starting each shift. Cohort nursing within designated areas of the care home/households will also come to an end.

All our external providers, visiting entertainers and volunteers will still be required to check in via our Visitor Management System, scan the QR code, have their temperature taken, observe good hand hygiene and coughing and sneezing etiquette, and will be obliged to provide notification of their intended visit to the Care Manager in advance.

Whilst we’re pleased that life is now just about back to normal again, everyone should continue to remain vigilant in terms of their own infection prevention practices and the need to keep a record of their movements and those they’ve been in personal contact with. As a nation, we can’t afford to become complacent, especially since a new community case was detected on Sunday; because this was so quickly contained, close contacts identified and the various controls swiftly put in place, we’re confident in our decision to now move our care home to full Alert Level 1. However, in the event of another outbreak, or any indication of community transmission where the source of the infection is uncertain, we’ll re-introduce the restrictions that previously applied under the higher Alert Levels with immediate effect, in order to protect our vulnerable resident community.

A final reminder that, if family members feel just slightly unwell, it’s important to stay at home and not visit your loved one. If you have cold or flu symptoms, call your doctor or Healthline on 0800 358 5453 to see if you need a test.

As always, thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to maintain our safe care environments. If you’ve any questions or concerns at any time, please don’t hesitate to contact your Care Manager.

Update for Auckland residential care residents, family, and friends

Auckland villages' staged approach to moving to Level 1

Our Auckland care homes will take a staged approach to moving to Level 1 from 11.59pm, Wednesday, 7 October

Further to Monday’s welcome news that Auckland will join the rest of New Zealand at Alert Level 1 from 11.59pm tonight, we wish to advise you that we’ll be implementing a staged approach to returning to Level 1 in our care homes. This will relax a number of visiting restrictions that have been in place and will enable residents to have greater social contact with others, whilst ensuring that we can continue to maintain residents’ health and safety and preserve our safe care environment at this time.

For the next two weeks (from Thursday 8th October until Thursday 22nd October), whilst a number of important infection prevention precautions will still remain, they’ll be slightly more relaxed and will introduce greater variety and social engagement into residents’ daily routine. From this Thursday, therefore, the following will apply:

• Residents can visit others in different areas of their care home, go for a walk within the care home and around the village site and attend communal areas (such as the village café), but must wear a mask and keep a physical distance from those they may come into contact with;

• There will be no restrictions on the number of visitors per resident or on the length of each visit;
• Current visiting hours will continue from 10.00am to 6.00pm, and visitors will still need to book appointments to visit their loved ones;
• Visitors will still be required to wear masks and should confine their visits to the resident’s room (visits should not take place within the communal areas). Visitors will need to sign into the Visitor Management System, scan the QR code at the care home entrance, have their temperature checked, wear their identification label and use hand sanitiser before moving through the care home to see their relative/friend;
• Family members can take their loved one out and off the village site, but residents will be required to wear a mask and practise good hand hygiene at all times; visitors will be given a contact tracing form to complete and hand back on return.
• Minivan outings will resume just for residents of a specific care home/household ‘bubble’ only, therefore masks won’t be necessary (with the exception of the driver); however, residents won’t be able to disembark from the van at any of the stop-offs.
• Fourteen-day isolation and other precautions will continue for new admissions into the care homes and for those residents who are returning from a stay in public hospital.

We’ll also now be able to welcome back our hairdressers, podiatrists and other allied health providers, as well as our volunteers and external activity providers such as visiting entertainers. All external providers, contractors and volunteers will have to check in via our Visitor Management System, scan the QR code, have their temperature taken and continue to wear a mask. They’ll also be required to provide us with notification in advance of their intended visit, and we’ll be reminding them of the need to continue to observe the main infection prevention and control measures, such as good hand hygiene and coughing and sneezing etiquette – all the precautions that we’ve become used to and which are now part of our way of life.

Chapel services will not commence until 18 October, however we’re asking that no residents from residential care attend on this date. This will be reviewed again on Monday, 19th October, based on whether any new cases of community transmission have come to light. Worship will continue within the care homes as it has been.

Our staff will continue to wear surgical masks and to complete our mandatory Health Declaration Form and have their temperature taken before starting each shift. Cohort nursing within designated areas of the care homes or households will also still apply for the time being. Despite the easing of restrictions, please be assured that we’ll continue to carefully monitor the health of our residents and will keep a close watch to ensure that their condition does not alter at any point.

We’ll continuously monitor these new procedures and will review them again after two weeks, with a view to potentially easing things further - assuming there are no new cases of COVID-19 detected in the wider community.

Whilst we’re delighted that life may be returning to a semblance of normality again, we must keep in mind that COVID-19 is still in the world. Alert Level 1 doesn’t mean that COVID is absent from New Zealand, so we all have a role to play in avoiding another outbreak. As the Prime Minister reminded us, it’s essential that we continue to be vigilant and not become complacent about the risk.  It’s still important to:

• scan into workplaces and shops with the NZ COVID Tracer app and remind people with you to do the same. If you don’t use the app, keep your own diary with details of places you’ve visited, the time you were there and who you were with;
• keep up good handwashing practices, using soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and drying thoroughly. Cough and sneeze into your elbow. Keep surfaces clean;
• maintain a safe distance from people you don’t know while out and about, as this will help to minimise the spread of COVID-19 if community transmission returns;
• continue good habits with face coverings to keep you and others safe, even at Alert Level 1 when it’s no longer compulsory; use face coverings on public transport and when you can’t maintain physical distance from people you don’t know, for example in supermarkets.

Above all, if family members have cold or flu symptoms, stay home and call your GP or Healthline on 0800 358 5453 to see if you need a test. Please do not visit your loved one in our care homes, as you could potentially pose a risk to them and to our other residents as well as our staff.

Thank you for your ongoing support and cooperation.  If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact your care manager.

Dear residents, friends and family members

Updated 14 August 2020

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement this evening that Auckland is to remain at Alert Level 3 and the rest of New Zealand at Level 2 for another 12 days until 26 August, we will continue with our Level 4 precautions in our care homes across all our villages which will remain in full lockdown, with no access to family members, other visitors, volunteers or non-essential personnel. As with the previous lockdowns, we’re front-footing this crisis to actively manage any risk, and the steps we’re taking go above and beyond the Government guidelines in many instances, in order to reduce any possibility of the virus entering our safe care environments.

All our care staff are now wearing surgical masks while at work and are practising physical distancing unless providing personal cares to residents. We’ve implemented cohort nursing and – whilst our staff are already highly trained in infection control – we’ve initiated refresher training on best practice procedures around the use of personal protective equipment (mask, gown, gloves and goggles), in the event that this becomes necessary. We continue to be particularly vigilant of residents’ health, taking temperatures and observations on a regular basis and closely monitoring for any changes. Any residents who become unwell or appear to be symptomatic will be cared for in isolation in their room until they’re cleared by the GP.

Our care staff are able to assist any residents who would like to go out for a breath of fresh air, and our diversional therapists and activities coordinators are focussed on providing a busy programme of engagement-in-life interests and activities. We understand that family members will be anxious to hear about how their loved one is doing over this lockdown period. You are of course welcome to phone and speak to your relative at any time, and we’ll assist with keeping them in touch with you via all the technological means at our disposal. Please do let us know what your preferred method of contact is, and we’ll do everything we can to make it happen.

In light of the recent cases of COVID-19 detected in Auckland, we also wanted to let you know of our procedures in the event that any of our staff believe they may have been in contact with someone in the wider community who’s been exposed to the virus. Our standard procedure in such cases will be to place the individual on discretionary leave in order for them to be tested. Provided their test is negative (we’ll need formal proof of this) and they’re symptom-free, they may return to the workplace. As a number of locations, schools and workplaces have now been identified – where those who’ve recently contracted COVID-19 have either worked or attended – we’re checking with all our staff to make sure that neither they (nor their close family members or contacts) could have been exposed. 

All our staff are temperature-checked and are required to complete our health status declaration form before starting their shift. Staff with any cold or flu-like symptoms will be stood down until they’ve been tested and returned a negative result and are clear of symptoms for 48 hours. Any staff members who are considered to be in the vulnerable category (ie, aged 70-plus or with health conditions) have been stood down with pay and supported with welfare services.

Therefore, please be assured that every possible measure is being taken to keep our care homes free of the virus and to protect our vulnerable residents and our staff alike.

As a reminder to all our care families, the COVID-19 symptoms to watch out for include: a cough, a high temperature (at least 37.5˚C), shortness of breath, a sore throat, sneezing and runny nose, a temporary loss of smell, and conjunctivitis. If you develop any of these symptoms, contact your GP or call Healthline on 0800 358 5453; make sure you get tested for COVID-19, if your GP recommends it. Information on maintaining health and wellbeing at this time is available on the Government website: covid19.govt.nz.

We would like to reassure you that Selwyn is taking a highly precautionary approach in the face of this ever present threat. As a responsible provider of services to older people, it’s The Selwyn Foundation’s duty to do everything possible to protect the health and safety of its vulnerable residents and staff, and to reduce any possible risk so that our care homes and wider village communities remain COVID-free to the benefit of one and all.

We’ll be providing regular updates as we go forward, but if you’ve an immediate query or concern about your loved one’s care and wellbeing, please don’t hesitate to contact your Village or Care Manager.

Until next time – stay safe, stay well and be kind.

In light of the Prime Minister’s announcement, please see the following updates for each region.

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement earlier this week that the Auckland region will move to Alert Level 2 from 11:59pm on Wednesday, 23 September, with the rest of the country having moved to COVID Alert Level 1 as of 11.59pm on 21 September, we’d like to confirm what this means for each of our care homes.

Update for residential care residents, family, and friends

The Selwyn Foundation and its villages to remain at current Alert Levels until Monday, 21 September. 

On Monday the Prime Minister announced the country will remain at the current Alert Levels for one more week until 11.59pm on Monday 21st September.

While we wait for the final decision, residential care residents will remain at their current alert levels. Then if the government confirms the country will move down Alert Levels on Monday 11.59pm, we will be in touch again to outline what this means for you and our villages.

This means Northland and Wellington Villages will remain at Alert Level 2 until 11.59pm on Monday 21st September. Then if the government confirms the country will move down Alert Levels, we will be in touch again to outline what this means for you and our villages and the potential move to Alert Level 1.

Auckland and Waikato villages will remain at Alert Level 3 for residential care until 11.59pm on Monday 21st September. Then if the government confirms moving down Alert Levels we will be in touch again to outline what this means for these regions.

Getting out in the village grounds with visitors

We know many of our residents have been frustrated that they haven’t been allowed to get outside and walk the gardens and grounds to get fresh air when family and friends visit. From today we are happy for you to do this, however, we ask that you stay away from common areas and both residents and visitors wear masks. Spring has sprung and the weather is slowly warming up, so we hope you can get outside and make the most of the change in seasons safely.

Update for residential care residents, family, and friends

In light of the Prime Minister’s announcement, please see the following updates for each village.

We want to minimise the risks associated with the current cluster as much as possible, so in line with the Government’s announcement, our care homes will be dropping down Alert Levels. This is specific for each region; therefore, we have detailed each village’s update below. Please click on the drop-down links to read more about the update for your village.

COVID-19 update to care families, 11 August 2020

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement that Auckland is to move to Level 3 for a period of three days from 12 noon on Wednesday, 12 August 2020, all our care homes are now closed and will not be open for visiting on Wednesday morning. 

We have activated our Level 4 lockdown procedures across all our villages – including those outside Auckland – to ensure that we can protect our residents and staff from any possible transmission of COVID-19. It is particularly important that we take this action immediately given the fact that the source of the latest cases is unknown.

Please can we ask family members not to visit our care homes in the morning to see their loved ones before the deadline of 12 noon, as we will be unable to grant you access.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

If you have any urgent queries or concerns as to the health and wellbeing of your family member at this time, please do not hesitate to contact your Care Manager.

Alert Level 1 information for care families

Updated 9 June 2020

As the nation has moved to COVID-19 Alert Level 1 due to there being no known active cases in the country, we’re pleased to advise that we’ve lifted many of the restrictions on visiting that were in place in our care homes. With immediate effect, the following now applies:

• Restrictions on visiting hours will cease.
• There’ll be no limit on the numbers of visitors per resident or on the time or duration of their visit.
• Visitors will still be required to sign into the Visitor Management System at the care home entrance, to answer the health declaration questions within the system, wear their identification label and use hand sanitiser before moving through the care home to see their relative/friend.
• Visitors will no longer have their temperature taken by a staff member.
• Visiting can take place in the resident’s bedroom or in a communal area.
• Visitors can take residents out and off the village site, but will be given a contact tracing form to complete and will be required to hand this back on return.
• There will no longer be a need for safety officers at the entrance (where that had applied).
• Visitors will no longer be required to wear a surgical mask whilst visiting.

Our staff will dispense with wearing surgical masks, unless a resident is unwell, but will continue to complete our mandatory Health Declaration Form and have their temperature taken before starting each shift. From now on, all new admissions into the care homes from public hospital or the community will be strictly managed in line with the Ministry of Health’s nationally implemented screening tool, which will identify any potential risk.

The move to Level 1 will enable us to welcome back our volunteers and external activity providers, such as visiting entertainers and guest speakers. In addition, we’re looking forward to resuming any engagement-in-life activities that had to be temporarily suspended during the higher Alert Levels, and have developed specific cleaning protocols to cater for this. All external providers and contractors will need to check in via our Visitor Management System and will be required to provide notification of their intended visit to the Village or Care Manager in advance. We’ll also be reminding them of the need to continue to observe the main infection prevention control measures, such as good hand hygiene and coughing and sneezing etiquette – all the precautions that we’ve become used to and which should form part of our new way of life from now on.

Whilst our worship services have continued on a limited basis throughout the pandemic, with groups of ten residents and under, we’ll now be able to gather together in larger numbers, with communion using previously intincted bread (but not a common cup).

Despite the easing of restrictions, please be assured that we’ll continue to carefully monitor the health of our residents and will keep a close watch to ensure that residents’ condition does not alter at any point. Our staff have received renewed instruction and guidance as to the COVID-19 symptoms and associated illnesses that manifest in older people, so that they may quickly identify any changes that might occur.

Whilst we’re delighted that life is now just about back to normal, we must keep in mind that COVID-19 is still in the world. Everyone should remain vigilant in terms of their own infection control practices and the need to keep a record of our movements and those we’ve been in personal contact with.

As the threat is now diminished, this will be the last of our weekly COVID-19 updates. We’d like to thank family members for their patience and understanding throughout these challenging times, as we worked to provide a safe environment and to protect those in our care. We can now look forward to ‘uniting for recovery’ and getting New Zealand moving again.  

Update for residential care, friends and families

Updated 5 June 2020

We hope you’re continuing to enjoy life at COVID Alert Level 2. It’s been wonderful to welcome more visitors into the care homes since Tuesday, and our residents and staff teams are very much enjoying the ‘buzz’ and more lively atmosphere with the various comings and goings every day. As it’s two weeks since the last new case of COVID-19 in New Zealand, all the signs are positive around whether the nation will be able to move to Level 1 ahead of schedule.

The Selwyn Emergency Management Team is continuing to review how the transition to the lower Alert Level will be safely implemented within our residential care homes. As Cabinet will decide on Monday, 8 June, about moving to Alert Level 1, we’ll write to you again shortly after that to let you know what that will mean for our care homes in terms of new practices and procedures and the easing of further restrictions around visiting.

Please rest assured, however, that our main goal at all times will be to keep our vulnerable residents safe and protected from the virus, and we appreciate your ongoing assistance in maintaining our COVID-free environments for those we care for. Whilst we’re all looking forward to a move to a ‘new normal’, it’s important to remember that we remain in a global pandemic and there’s still a record number of cases being reported globally. As the Director-General of Health said in his briefing yesterday, this pandemic continues apace outside our borders and we can’t afford to let our guard down, but need to remain vigilant to the threat that the virus poses. 

With this in mind, therefore, we’d like to reiterate that it’s essential for visitors to continue to apply the fundamental hygiene and precautionary measures that have worked so well to date, so we can preserve our safe havens for residents. These include observing strict hand hygiene and coughing and sneezing etiquette, and being mindful of physical distancing when out and about amongst strangers (to reduce the risk of bringing any infection into the care homes). Crucially, even if you feel just slightly unwell, please stay at home and do not visit your loved one, as you could potentially pose a risk to our frail residents as well as to our staff. If you have cold or flu symptoms, call your doctor or Healthline and make sure you get tested.

In addition, we should all continue to keep track of where we’ve been and who we’ve seen, to assist with rapid contact tracing if it’s required. To help with this, we’d like to remind you about the Ministry of Health’s new contact tracing app that’s available to download onto your smartphone. Even just registering your up-to date contact details with the Ministry of Health will be very helpful for both you and Public Health, as well as for the nation’s wider efforts to stamp out COVID-19, should the source of any community transmission need to be traced. For further information on this, please visit the COVID-19 website.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in helping us to keep your loved ones safe over this transitional period. We don’t want to lose the advantage that we have and everything we’ve achieved so far, therefore it’s vital we make sure that we continue to take good health and safety precautions for the sake of all our communities.

Pending the Cabinet decision on Monday, we look forward to writing to you again in the very near future with some further good news around our visiting protocols.   

Until then, stay safe.

Update to care families

Updated 29 May 2020

Following our recent re-opening to nominated visitors and the Government’s announcement this week about the changes to the maximum number of people who can now attend gatherings, we’re pleased to advise you of some further relaxation of restrictions around visiting that we’ll be introducing from next week.

Whilst we’ll continue with our existing pre-registration, health declaration screening and other precautionary measures for visitors, we’re now in a positon to increase the number of nominated visitors per resident to a maximum of three from next Tuesday (2 June). Therefore, please would activated EPOAs provide their Village or Care Manager with the name of their third designated visitor for inclusion in our visitor management register. Where there’s no activated EPOA, we’ll ask the resident who they’d like to nominate to visit them, and will contact the individuals accordingly. Should a resident be unable to choose, we’ll ask them who they’d like to make that decision on their behalf, and we’ll contact the persons so named.

Nominated visitors will be the only people who’ll be permitted visiting access under our Alert Level 2 precautions (with just one person visiting at any one time), and visiting will continue to be restricted to the resident’s room (meetings are not to take place in the communal areas). Visits will still be by appointment only, with the name of the visitor to be provided to me in advance. Children aged 12 and over are welcome to visit, providing they’re listed as a nominated visitor and are able to comply with the need to wear a surgical mask and limit their movements around the care home.

We’re also pleased to be able to extend visits to one hour. During this time, visiting family members will be able to take their loved one for a short walk within the village grounds, should the resident wish and providing physical distancing is observed in relation to other villagers and their visitors. However, please refrain from entering the communal areas of the village such as the café or lounge areas, to avoid the risk of our care residents coming into contact with those visiting our independent living residents from the wider community.

Hairdressing and podiatry services will be re-introduced from next week. Visiting service providers will undergo our mandatory health screening and temperature checks each time they attend a village, and will observe our hygiene protocols around hand sanitiser and cleaning. They’ll also wear PPE and maintain social distancing as appropriate to the service provided (as regards the number of residents who’ll be permitted in the vicinity at any one time). We’ll be happy to book appointments for residents as required.

With Alert Level 1 being the next stage on our journey out of this COVID-19 situation, we’ll be working on what this might look like for our residential care services so we can move there as soon as it’s safe to do so. We want to be careful to get the balance right between easing our restrictions and ensuring that we can continue to protect our vulnerable residents. We’ll let you know about this once we’re sure we can do it in a way that will safeguard everyone’s health.

Until next time, if you’ve any queries about your loved one’s health and wellbeing, or would like clarification on any issue, please don’t hesitate to contact your Village or Care Manager.

Update to care families

Updated 22 May 2020

We hope everyone’s been enjoying their new-found freedoms since the introduction of Alert Level 2 last week, and trust that you’re now looking forward to hearing how quickly we can move to the next and final level.

We had a flurry of activity and lots of comings and goings in the first few days of re-opening our care homes to visitors. It was wonderful to be able to welcome families back again and to see the smiles on our residents’ faces as they were reunited with their loved ones. Thank you to all our family members for their patience and cooperation with our various signing-in procedures and visitor management system. Due to the number of visitors arriving, we had a few technical difficulties at times, but these have since been resolved and things have now settled down.

We’d like to remind everyone that only visitors who have been nominated either by the resident or their activated EPOA will be permitted entry to the care home, and one designated family member (or close friend) only may visit at any one time. Visits are by appointment only, with the name of the visitor to be provided to the Village or Care Manager in advance for inclusion in our visitor management register. It’s important that we restrict visitor numbers and carefully manage access to the facility over this period, so we can continue to provide a safe environment for our residents and for contact tracing purposes.

Should any activated EPOA not have provided the Village or Care Manager with the names of the two people who’ll be visiting their family member, please may we ask that you do so as soon as possible. We’ve had a few issues this week with prospective visitors arriving who haven’t been on our list of nominated visitors. This puts staff in a difficult position when they’re unable to grant admission, and is unfortunate for those who’ve made the trip to visit their family member to no avail. Your help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Level 2 is a transition out of lockdown and we hope that it won’t be too long before we can open our care homes to more visitors and relax our restrictions further, once the Government announces the next steps on the nation’s journey out of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the meantime, please do continue with your phone check-ins and Facetime video calls, etc, to your loved ones, which residents very much enjoy and always look forward to. If we can help in coordinating or setting these up at all, please do let us know.

You will have heard about the importance of contact tracing and of keeping a record of where you’ve been and who you’ve seen, as this would be helpful to Public Health in tracing anyone who may have come into contact with the virus. There are many different apps you can use to record your movement. The Ministry of Health has created a tracing app — NZ COVID Tracer. This app works by scanning a QR code on a poster at participating businesses and it then keeps track of where you’ve scanned, so you know where you’ve been. For further information on this visit the COVID-19 website.

Thank you again for all your support and understanding of the precautions and safety measures that we’re continuing to take to keep our care homes virus-free. Alert Level 2 is not a return to normal life, so it's up to each one of us to keep our vulnerable seniors protected from COVID-19. Let’s not undermine the great progress we’ve made so far.

Updated 12 May 2020

Update for care families, 12 May 2020

Following this week’s Government announcement that COVID-19 Alert Level 2 will start to come into effect from Thursday, 14 May – and further to our update of 8 May (see below) – we’re now writing to all activated EPOAs or nominated visitors of residents, to confirm the new visiting arrangements for our care homes.

To enable us to continue to provide a safe environment for our residents, to manage visitor numbers and to ensure accurate record keeping for close contact tracing purposes (should this be required), visiting times will be restricted and will be by appointment only, and all visitors will be asked to comply with certain health and safety practices. Your Village Manager or Care Manager will provide the specific details for the care home you wish to visit.

The new arrangements will take effect from this Thursday (the 14^th).  Whilst they may appear overly cautious, it’s important that we remain particularly vigilant at this time, especially since those in the wider community will be increasing their contact with others as they start to resume their pre-COVID activities and daily routines.  It’s therefore necessary that we maintain a precautionary approach, whilst endeavouring to relax our visiting restrictions to some extent. 

Should any activated EPOA not have provided the Village Manager or Care Manager with the names of those who’ll be visiting their family member, it would be helpful if you could do that at your earliest convenience, so we know who to expect and thus avoid any delays in granting admission to the care homes.

Thank you for your cooperation in adhering to this new system, which is designed purely and simply to protect those in our care and keep them safe from COVID-19.  Please do let us know if you’ve any queries or require any further clarification at all.

Update to care families

As the nation may be moving to COVID-19 Alert Level 2 in the near future, we’re now reviewing how the easing of restrictions might apply to our care homes. Residents and family members will be very glad to hear that we’re considering a partial re-opening to close family or friends, but in a way that will enable us to continue to provide a safe environment for our vulnerable communities.

Whilst we’re still to finalise our thinking on how visitor access will be managed, we envisage the following:

• Visiting hours restricted to certain times, Monday to Sunday
• Visits by appointment only and within specific time slots
• Visits of 30 minutes’ duration only (but with no time restrictions for those visiting residents approaching end-of-life stage)
• A maximum of two family members (or a family member and a friend) to be nominated as visitors for the entirety of Level 2, with visiting restricted to these same two people only for the duration of Level 2
• Only one of the above designated visitors to visit at any one time
• Visitors to sign a health declaration at a central point before entering the care home, have their temperature taken, wear a surgical mask that we will provide and sanitise their hands
• Visiting to be restricted to the resident’s room (meetings not to take place in the communal areas)
• Physical distancing to be maintained as much as possible
• The visiting family member would be able to take their loved one for a short walk outside, providing physical distancing was observed.

We appreciate that families will be eager to visit their loved ones after such a prolonged period of time away. However, in order that we can carefully control visitor numbers and maintain our infection-free environment, we’ll only be able to grant access to one visitor per resident at any time. Visits will be by appointment only, with the name of the visitor to be provided to the respective Care Manager or Village Manager in advance for inclusion in our visitor management register.

In line with best practice, and as advocated by the NZ Aged Care Association, residents or their activated EPOAs should designate a maximum of two people to be their nominated visitors for the entirety of the Alert Level 2 period. These named individuals will be the only persons who’ll be permitted visiting access under our Level 2 precautions (with just one person visiting at any one time). With this in mind, therefore - and prior to the commencement of our new visiting arrangements - please can activated EPOAs provide their Care Manager or Village Manager with the names of those they wish to nominate as visitors. Where there’s no activated EPOA, we’ll ask the resident who they would like to nominate to visit them, and will contact the individuals accordingly. Should a resident be unable to choose, we’ll ask them who they’d like to make that decision on their behalf, and we’ll contact the persons so named.

Following receipt of this information, we’ll write early next week to activated EPOAs and those who’ve been nominated as the designated visitors, to confirm the exact visiting times and the specific safety practices and procedures to be observed whilst visitors are in the care home.   

We’d like to thank you in advance for your understanding in this matter and for your cooperation and support, which will help us to keep our care homes COVID-free and to continue to protect the vulnerable residents in our care. If you’ve any queries regarding any of the above, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Finally, with Mother’s Day this Sunday, as our care homes will still be operating under our current restrictions, please do continue with all your phone and video calls, WhatsApp messages and other forms of remote communication. We’ll be delighted to facilitate them as required, so that residents and families can connect with one another and enjoy a catch-up with loved ones on this special day.

Updated 1 May 2020

Update to care families

We’re now into the first week of COVID-19 Alert Level 3, and things continue to go well within our care homes. There are still very firm restrictions in place nationally which are designed to reduce the possibility of the virus getting a stronger foothold within our communities, and we will continue to observe these across our villages.

The Foundation has a duty of care to all its residents and staff, and the thought of the virus entering our safe environments and spreading through our vulnerable community is too dreadful to contemplate. Whilst there may be fewer cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand generally, it hasn’t been eradicated completely, and we’ll now see what the virus will do within the wider community under Level 3. We’re of the belief that this is the danger period – more so than ever – so we won’t be letting our guard down or easing our visitor restrictions prematurely. 

The Selwyn Emergency Management team is currently considering what the lower Alert Levels might look like across the villages, but we’ve not yet determined exactly how things might change. We’ll keep everyone fully informed of any relaxations and easing of restrictions, as soon as we’re certain that we’ll be able to protect everyone’s health and safety to the best of our ability.

In the meantime, our care teams are doing everything possible to make the lockdown easier for residents in whatever way they can. We marked ANZAC Day with commemorative displays, prayers of tribute for those who made the ultimate sacrifice and discussions around what life was like in earlier times, and we continue to hold ‘birthday bashes’ – with families and friends joining by video link.

Whilst our certification audits have been postponed for another year due to the pandemic, the majority of the Foundation’s care homes have now been audited virtually by the DHBs as part of the Government’s COVID-19 review of the aged care sector. We’ve received excellent feedback on all the precautions and guidelines we’ve introduced to manage the situation and on the measures we have in place to respond, should any Selwyn site ever be affected by COVID-19.   

We’ve introduced a precautionary admissions process for new residents coming into our care homes and for our staff who attend to them, and our team members are now also wearing surgical masks as an added precaution (since people may be starting to expand their ‘bubbles’ at home as Level 3 allows). In addition, staff continue to complete a health status declaration prior to starting each shift, which is an important monitoring tool that will alert us to whether we need to put in place further protections for both staff and residents at any stage.

Residents continue to look forward to chatting to their families on the phone, via Zoom, through apps and by all other ways and means. We’re delighted to help make that happen – we have the technology! – so that everyone can keep in touch and hear each other’s news and exciting updates. It means so much. Therefore please don’t hesitate to let us know if we can assist with this at any time.

We very much appreciate your continued understanding and support, as we work to keep this virus out of our safe havens and so protect all those in our care.

Until next time, stay safe.

Updated 22 April 2020

A message to family members in regards to Alert Level 3

Following the Government’s decision to come out of the Level 4 lockdown next week, we would like to clarify that we do not intend relaxing the restrictions that are currently in place as regards visitor access to the care homes.  We’ll be continuing with the same controls, checking and screening practices as per our Level 4 precautions for the foreseeable future, so we can be certain that we’re doing everything we can to protect our residents whilst the virus is still circulating in the community.  

Having closed our care homes to visitors early on, and introduced other strict preventative measures in how we operate, we’ve been very successful to date in shielding all our residents from the virus and preventing the infection from entering our safe environment.  Therefore, as a responsible provider of services to a demographic that’s regarded universally to be the most vulnerable to COVID-19, we see no reason to lift our controls prematurely or to expose our residents unnecessarily to any threat that exists at a wider level.

The Foundation’s Emergency Management team is now reviewing the Government’s Level 3 guidelines in terms of how they relate to other services in our villages, with a view to potentially re-introducing some of activities that had been temporarily suspended.  However, our care homes will continue to be closed to all but our essential workers - with controlled access for those visiting loved ones in their last days of life - and we will maintain ongoing health checking/screening and close contact tracing in terms of our staffing practices.

As Alert Level 3 will allow some extension of people’s ‘bubbles’, we’ll be introducing as an added precaution the use of surgical masks by our staff when they’re attending to a resident within the recommended two metre distance.  This will commence next Tuesday and is merely an extra measure to protect residents, given that our staff may be expanding their personal bubbles at home and might therefore have contact with an increased number of people in the general community.  We’ll fully explain the reasons for this to residents and allay any fears they might have that COVID-19 may be present in the care homes.  If you would like any further clarification around this, please do let us know.

We know that these restrictions are taxing and that it’s very difficult not to be in physical contact with your loved one for such a prolonged period.  Our safety measures are critically important in the fight against COVID-19 and in our efforts to provide a safe, virus-free home for those you’ve entrusted into our care. Be buoyed by the fact that there’s light at the end of the tunnel, and we just need to keep up the effort for a few more weeks for the sake of one and all.

To close, we would like to thank our amazing teams for everything they’re doing to help everyone through the lockdown, providing a stable and caring ‘home life’, a safe bubble and keeping everyone’s spirits up.  We know that residents and families greatly appreciate them, too, judging from the wonderful comments and messages of praise and support we’ve received in the past few days.  As always, if we can help in any way at all – to arrange a phone call or Facetime/video chat, or provide an update on how your relative is doing – please don’t hesitate to let us know.

Stay safe.

Updated 15 April 2020

Updates for families and friends

We would like to reassure you that, at The Selwyn Foundation, we've taken - and continue to take - every possible precaution to protect the health of our vulnerable residents.

Please click on the attachment below for our latest newsletter: Protecting our care residents from COVID-19: best practice procedures in place at Selwyn

Updated 9 April 2020

Update to residential care families

As we enter week three of the Alert 4 lockdown period, we’re pleased to report that we continue to remain free of the COVID-19 virus, and our efforts to keep the infection out of our care homes and villages have proved successful to date.

Our wonderful team of staff are doing everything they can to ensure that there’s a sense of normalcy within the homes and are getting on with the usual daily routines and practices, so that our residents feel safe and secure, surrounded by familiar faces and those they know. Staff are also especially focussed on offering an expanded engagement in life programme and on providing a range of enriching and enjoyable activities for residents to participate in, as a counter to any potential feelings of isolation that they might experience. We continue to celebrate residents’ birthdays and other special occasions, with banners, cakes, balloons and general joviality to help compensate for the fact that family are not able to be here. Assisting residents with staying in touch with their loved ones though the use of Apps and IT devices helps keep people’s spirits up, too.

We continue to be particularly vigilant of residents’ health, taking temperatures on a regular basis and closely monitoring for any changes, and we’re also ensuring that everyone receives the influenza vaccination which is important as we approach winter. Although the vaccine won’t protect against COVID-19, it will help protect against contracting flu which can be very serious for older people at this time of the year. If you would like an update on your loved one’s health at any time and on how they’re faring under lockdown, please don’t hesitate to contact your Care Manager. 

We’d like to thank our care teams for all their efforts at this time. The kind acknowledgements and messages of thanks that we’ve received from residents and family members alike have also been greatly appreciated by us all. 

At a wider level, the Foundation has been focussing on how all our Selwyn communities can make the most of their excess spare time and use it productively. You might be interested to know about our new ‘Be well, be kind, be safe’ pages of the Foundation’s website, which you can explore click here and on our dedicated Coronavirus webpages. There are plenty of suggestions and resources for boredom busting, interesting articles and links to podcasts and documentaries, advice on where to find help and support on various issues, tips on staying well, as well as games, ‘how-to’ guides and lots of other fascinating and stimulating content for everyone of all ages. Do have a look and let us know what you think. If there’s anything you think we might add, it would be great to hear about that, too.

In another new initiative, our Chaplaincy team across all the Selwyn villages are now bringing comforting words and messages into our homes through a brief video message each day. Holy Week and Easter are the themes of this week’s reflections and, thereafter, they’ll focus on some broader ideas and aspects of life experience for us to think about. The reflections are available via our website click here, as well as on our Facebook page and YouTube channel (search for ‘The Selwyn Foundation’ or click here. The chaplains hope that both residents and staff will derive some refreshment and encouragement from each ‘thought for the day’.

We’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very safe and stress-free Easter. It will certainly be very different this year. We realise that it’s difficult to be apart from loved ones in such trying circumstances, but we’re sure you appreciate that the range of restrictions in place are intended to protect each one of us who lives or works in our villages.

Should you wish to deliver any items or general supplies for your relative over the Easter period, whilst being mindful of the requirement to stay at home as much as possible, we’ve arrangements in place for you to leave any deliveries within a safe distance, and we’ll then bring them safely to your family member. But rest assured that everyone will enjoy their usual hot cross buns and Easter Eggs regardless, which will be provided in copious supply! Please know that your loved ones are not on their own at this time, but are part of a wider caring community, and we are all here to help and support them in whatever way we can.

Stay safe and well, and be kind.

Updated 3 April 2020

Update to care home families and friends

Everything continues to go well in our care homes, considering the unusual circumstances we find ourselves in.  We continue to be free of the virus, and residents are adapting well to the lockdown situation and the protection measures we’ve taken to try to ensure that no-one contracts COVID-19.  Our staff are doing a wonderful job in making sure that everyone understands the reasons why families are unable to visit, and there are lots of stimulating things going on in the home for residents’ engagement and enrichment. 

We’re quite self-sufficient and safe in our own care bubble!

As an organisation, we’re also taking great care of our dedicated staff, who are so essential in helping to provide continuity and certainty for residents at a time when their contact with the outside world and families is so much more limited.  We’re incredibly thankful for their expert care of our residents and for their commitment to their profession, and we’re working to ensure that they have all the support and resources they need so they can continue their amazing work. 

We’re continually monitoring the situation at our villages generally and reviewing other possible actions that might need to be taken to manage movements and access.  Elsewhere in the villages, everyone is also continuing to practise the ‘the four do’s of safety’:

1. Physical distancing
2. Use of hand sanitiser and good hand washing
3. Minimising the time spent away from home and only going out for essentials
4. Reducing contact with hard surfaces in public places.
   
   

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact your Care Manager if you have any queries about your loved one or need any help whatsoever.  Please be assured that we are here to help in whatever way we can.

Update 31 March 2020

Update to family members, 31 March 2020

We are now in the second week of our lockdown period and everyone has settled into the new way of life within our care homes without the usual comings and goings of our regular visitors.

Our diversional therapists and activities coordinators are focussed on providing a busy programme of engagement in life interests and activities, and making sure that everyone’s involved in the everyday happenings of the homes, that they have companionship, enjoy their daily routine and continue to feel part of a wider, caring community of residents and staff. 

Residents are still able to enjoy activities such as seated exercise sessions, quizzes, current affairs, sing-a-longs, social games, special interest groups, ladies’ group, men’s club, walking groups (assisted by staff), movies and Happy Hour – and much more besides!  Our care homes are always very bright and colourful, but even more so now that our staff have lovely new tunic tops to wear in an array of colours, adding to the lively and vibrant atmosphere.

Our chaplains play an essential role in all The Selwyn Foundation’s care homes and – across our village sites – they’re continuing with regular services for groups of ten residents or fewer, and are resourcing interested people to continue with some form of music and prayers.

We’re also working on keeping our residents in touch with their families, by providing virtual access through a wide range of channels. These include, for example, FaceTime accessed on our nurses’ iPhones with families calling at a pre-arranged time, and emails from family which we can then read out to the resident (this is very popular with residents, and thank you to families for all the interesting and fun updates in your messages). Families can also connect using ‘WhatsApp’ on their iPhone or by video through ZOOM (we have iPads that can facilitate this).  This week, our chaplains are also being equipped with the capability to connect virtually with residents via tablets and FaceTime or Jabber, which will enhance the level of support they can provide beyond that of an ordinary phone call.

We understand that family members will be anxious to hear about how their loved one is doing over this lockdown period, so please do let us know what your preferred method of contact is, and we’ll do everything we can to make it happen.  We’re also looking at how we can provide specific clinical updates to families on a weekly basis, but you can contact us at any time if you’d like additional reassurance that your parent or loved one is well and in good spirits.

We hope that all our residents’ families are keeping safe and well and are also getting used to this new way of life, as we unite to eradicate this virus from New Zealand.  As always, if you have a particular query or concern, please don’t hesitate to contact the care manager at the relevant facility at any time.