Waipuna Hospice moves to Alert Level Four

As you may be aware, the Bay of Plenty is now in alert level four. 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.

As the global pandemic continues and should the situation across our country change we want to reassure you that we are equipped to change levels quickly and efficiently if needed to ensure the safety of our patients, family/whanau, staff and the wider community.

At Alert Level Four You Can Expect:

  • The Waipuna Hospice Inpatient Unit will be closed.
  • Other Waipuna Hospice support services, such as the Day Services Programme, grief and bereavement support groups are regretfully cancelled until further notice.
  • Face to face interactions will continue to remain limited to essential situations only in alert level four as guided by Ministry of Health advice. If our clinical staff are planning a visit with you during alert level four social distancing will be adhered to when possible and personal protective equipment will be worn at all times. Our team 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, have visited a location of interest, or are experiencing symptoms. This is to ensure we reduce any risks to our patient’s, their whānau, our staff, and the wider community.
  • The opportunity for online/telemedicine consultations to be available. Please let a member of our team know if you prefer this option.
  • Our staff to continue implementing strict infection control guidelines.
  • Patients are to be asked to record the people they have contact with so contact tracing can be initiated immediately by the Ministry of Health if a risk is identified. We have developed a Visitor Tracing and Contact Details Form to make this easier – Our nurse will discuss this with you when they call. All members of our staff are also recording their contacts (work-related and personal) for the same reason. This reduces the risk of further spread of the virus.
  • The Waipuna Hospice Charity Shops and Depot are to be closed.

As we navigate through Alert Level four 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.

For the most up to date advice from health officials and the government, please visit https://covid19.govt.nz/.

For further information relating to the following Waipuna Hospice service or departments, please see below.

Waipuna Hospice Charity Shops and Donating Goods

At level four our Waipuna Hospice Charity shops and Depot will be closed. Like other businesses tackling this issue, we are being guided by the Ministry of Health, and as circumstances continue to develop, one thing will remain the same: We will make our decisions with the health, safety, and wellbeing of our customers, team members, volunteers, and communities as our highest priority.

Hospice at Home

Face to face interactions will continue to remain limited to essential situations only in alert level four as guided by Ministry of Health advice. If our clinical staff are planning a visit with you during alert level four social distancing will be adhered to when possible and personal protective equipment will be worn at all times. Our team 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 contact 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.

Inpatient Care

During alert level four the Waipuna Hospice Inpatient Unit will be closed. We will not be accepting new patients, or their visitors, into the unit.
As we navigate through alert level four 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.

Patient and Family Support

All Waipuna Hospice support services, such as the Day Services Programme, grief and bereavement support groups are regretfully cancelled until further notice. We have not taken this decision lightly and appreciate that this may cause some inconvenience and concern, but we feel this is a necessary step to take to protect our community.
The opportunity for online/telemedicine consultations is available. Please let a member of our team know if you would like to discuss this option.

Education

During alert level four no education programmes will be operating at Waipuna Hospice. We apologise for any inconveniences this may cause. If you were booked in to attend an education session that was set to take place during the current level four timeframe we will be in touch directly.

If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to call us on 07 552 4380.