Waipuna Hospice moves to Alert Level 2
As you may be aware, Bay of Plenty is now in alert level 2. We take the health and safety of our patients, visitors, and staff very seriously at Waipuna Hospice, so we are taking steps to ensure everyone’s wellbeing.
Our Inpatient Unit (IPU) will continue to remain open and patients in IPU are welcome to have visitors, however this will be limited to a maximum of two people at a time. The limit on visitor numbers will allow us to maintain safe distancing between patients, visitors, and staff. Other Waipuna Hospice services, such as Nursing and Family Support, will continue to operate as normal. As an added precaution, all patients and visitors will be screened prior to coming in – we believe this is an important step towards ensuring the safety of our community.
If our clinical staff are planning to visit you during Alert Level 2 they will check in with you before a visit to clarify your circumstances, as well as identify if you have been exposed to anyone known to have Covid-19 or are experiencing symptoms. This is to ensure we reduce any risks to our patient’s, their whānau, our staff, and the wider community.
We have also developed a Visitor Tracing and Contact Details Form. This form will help you record those people you have contacted with, so contact tracing can be initiated immediately by the Ministry of Health if a risk is identified. Our nurse will discuss this with you when they call.
As we navigate through Alert Level 2 and beyond we want to sincerely thank you for your understanding and patience as we work to minimise the risks to you our patients, your whānau, our staff and the wider community. Please don’t hesitate to talk with our team if you have any queries or concerns, if urgent issues arise out of hours we continue to have 24/7 phone support available to you on 07 552 4380.
