The good news is the number of daily new COVID-19 cases has diminished considerably and the government is starting to loosen restrictions.  

I want to reiterate to you we all still need to be vigilant and not complacent.

We continue to repeat the following to everyone:

The wellbeing of our clients and our home support staff continues to be our number one priority.

As a community we continue to need leadership, responsibility, honesty and strong communication around everyone’s wellbeing (from both clients and ESP Healthcare staff) to minimise risk and for us all to exercise our duty of care.

WE CONTINUE TO EMPHASISE THE FOLLOWING TO ALL OF OUR STAFF:   

  • staff to wear gloves at all services for the full service duration and frequently wash hands with soap and water or alcohol-based sanitizer.
  • staff to wear masks at all services.
  • if staff feel unwell in any way, no matter how minor, they are to contact our office immediately.  
  • if staff feel or suspect they have respiratory issues, fever, cough, shortness of breath and/or breathing difficulties, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell (as these are signs of the corona virus), contact the office immediately (and seek medical assistance).
  • if staff feel or suspect a client has respiratory issues, fever, cough, shortness of breath and/or breathing difficulties, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell (as these are signs of the corona virus), remove themselves immediately and contact the office immediately.
  • if staff feel they may have been in contact with anybody they may suspect has symptoms of corona virus (respiratory issues, fever, cough, shortness of breath and/or breathing difficulties), contact the office immediately.
  • if staff feel they have been in contact within a 14 day period of anyone arriving back in Australia from overseas who has not self-isolated, to contact the office immediately.
  • if staff feel a client may have been in contact with anybody within a 14 day period of anyone arriving back in Australia from overseas who has not self-isolated, to contact the office immediately.

OUR STAFF CONTINUE TO BE ADVISED THAT THEY CAN ASK CLIENTS OR CLIENT’S FAMILY MEMBERS THE FOLLOWING:

  1. Have you or someone living with you, been unwell due to respiratory symptoms, fever or flu-like illness in the past 14 days?
  2. Have you, or someone visiting your home, been in close contact with anybody who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 14 days?
  3. Have you, somebody you live with, or someone visiting your home returned from travel overseas in the past 14 days?

This is fully acknowledged by our industry as completely acceptable protocol at this time.

If the answer to any of those questions is ‘yes’, our staff are advised to contact the office immediately.

CLIENT HAND WASHING

We also ask you as a client or client family member to wash your hands as frequently as possible with soap and water or alcohol-based sanitizer as well.  

This is very important for you the client or client family member as well as our staff. This request is not only from ESP Healthcare but from the industry and the government. It is a simple but effective form of protection for you and our staff.  

SOCIAL DISTANCING  

We ask our staff, clients and client’s family members alike when in the general community or where practical during the service to strongly practice social distancing; not shaking hands or hugging, not touching their own face if unnecessary and avoiding being in groups of more than two.

We ask you as a client or client family member to practice social distancing as much as you practicably can as well. We fully realise that changing habits can be difficult.  

Please do not hesitate to call me if you have any concerns no matter how minor you may think they are.

Once again thank you for the leadership and responsibility you are taking – we are all in this together.