AnglicareSA Brompton COVID-19 outbreak declared over
Updated, 3 December 2020: AnglicareSA has been advised that the prescribed quarantine period at its Brompton aged care home has been lifted and it can begin to ease restrictions at the site.
SA Health officially declared the outbreak over following the return of results from the seventh round of testing of all Brompton residents and employees.
AnglicareSA CEO Peter Sandeman said careful planning and effective teamwork meant the virus was contained to four employees and no residents had contracted it.
“It is a great relief to receive confirmation that our Brompton home has been given the all-clear to slowly ease restrictions,” he said.
“While four of our employees unfortunately tested positive to COVID-19, we are relieved that the measures we had in place to protect residents from the virus have worked.
“Our planning and preparation throughout the year, and learnings from other organisations hit by the virus, was put to the test over the past few weeks. We knew all year that it was important to stay vigilant, even when it seemed that South Australia was safe from the threat.
“That planning and vigilance has paid off.”
Most employees who were quarantined, either having tested positive to COVID-19 or having been identified as close contacts, have now been released.
AnglicareSA has stayed in regular contact with quarantined employees to ensure their wellbeing.
“Our thoughts are with the remaining employee still in a medi-hotel. We will continue to support all affected employees throughout their recovery and return to work.”
Mr Sandeman said a collaborative effort within the home, across the organisation and with external agencies helped to stop the virus in its tracks.
“It has been an extraordinary effort by the team at AnglicareSA Brompton, as well as those working in support of them right across our organisation,” said Mr Sandeman.
“I thank everyone at AnglicareSA for their support, commitment and dedication throughout.
“The support and cooperation we have received from our residents has been vital in our success and we thank them for this.
“We are also enormously grateful to the teams from SA Health, the Federal Department of Health, SAPOL, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and other support services who have worked alongside us to contain the outbreak and ensure the wellbeing of our residents.
“Our team has been greatly heartened by the messages of support we have received from resident families and guardians, from our colleagues throughout aged care and social services sectors and from across the broader South Australian community. Thank you.”
Updated, 24 November 2020: AnglicareSA has recorded no new cases of COVID-19 at its Brompton aged care home since Friday 20 November.
All residents returned negative results from the fourth round of testing conducted yesterday (Monday 23 November).
Residents and employees were being tested every 48 hours. AnglicareSA is working with SA Health to determine the timing of the next round of tests.
Employee results from yesterday’s tests are still being received but, so far, no new cases have been detected.
The four AnglicareSA employees who tested positive to COVID-19 last week remain in medi-hotels.
AnglicareSA CEO Peter Sandeman said the health and welfare of those in quarantine is a key focus.
“We are very happy that the mechanisms we had in place to protect residents from COVID-19 so far seem to have worked,” he said.
“It is not over yet though. We will continue to be vigilant in our testing and safety regimes to ensure the ongoing protection of residents, employees and the community.
“Our thoughts are with our four employees who have tested positive, as well as those employees who were considered close contacts and are quarantining in hotels or at home.
“We are in regular contact with each of these employees to check on their health and wellbeing and ensure they have everything they need.”
Mr Sandeman said he was grateful for the support of residents, employees and government and support services throughout this challenging time.
“We are very grateful to our residents who have been supportive and cooperative during what has been a very difficult time for them. They’ve put up with regular, invasive testing and have had their freedoms and daily routines severely restricted, and they’ve taken it all in their stride,” he said.
“Our Brompton employees have continued to provide the very highest level of care and service throughout, and I thank them for their dedication, commitment and support. The Site Response Team and the Outbreak Management Team supporting them have been outstanding.
“We are also very appreciative of the ongoing support of SA Health, the federal Department of Health, SAPOL, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and other support services.”
Updated, 22 November 2020: AnglicareSA has recorded no new cases of COVID-19 at its Brompton aged care home since Friday 20 November.
All residents returned negative test results last night (Saturday 21 November). Residents and employees are being tested every 48 hours.
AnglicareSA CEO Peter Sandeman said he was cautiously optimistic that the virus had not spread beyond four employees.
“While we certainly are not yet in the clear we are delighted that, so far, all 40 of our residents at Brompton have returned three rounds of negative test results,” he said.
“This gives us some hope that the virus has not spread from our employees to our residents.
“We continue to receive results from our ongoing employee testing regime, and so far, the spread is limited to four employees. Those employees are all being well cared for in a medi-hotel.”
A further 14 Brompton employees are in quarantine having been identified as close contacts.
Mr Sandeman said he was grateful for the support of the government agencies and support services that responded swiftly when the first case was identified at Brompton.
“We are very grateful for the ongoing support of the Premier Steven Marshall, SA Health, federal health teams, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and other support services teams,” he said.
“Their swift and ongoing work with us has been vital in our ability to respond to this outbreak in our aged care home.
“I am also very grateful to the AnglicareSA team at Brompton for their tireless efforts to safeguard the health and wellbeing of our residents and other employees.
“Our residents are doing well in very difficult circumstances and I thank them for their support and all they are doing to help keep everyone safe and healthy.”
AnglicareSA is in daily contact with resident families and guardians and all AnglicareSA Brompton employees to ensure their welfare and keep them informed of developments.
Updated, 20 November: AnglicareSA has received test results from the second round of COVID-19 testing of all residents and 30 employees at its Brompton aged care home.
One further employee has tested positive to COVID-19. This employee was a close contact of the original case at Brompton and has been in isolation at a medi-hotel since Sunday 15 November. The employee has not been onsite since finishing night shift at 7am on Friday 13 November.
All 40 residents were retested yesterday (Thursday 19 November), and all have returned negative test results. They will be retested every 72 hours.
A 72-hourly testing regime of employees continues, with a total now of four (4) confirmed COVID-19-positive employees.
There are now nine AnglicareSA Brompton employees in hotel quarantine and a further eight isolating at home having been deemed close contacts of the positive cases.
We are in daily contact with residents’ families and guardians and all AnglicareSA Brompton employees to ensure their welfare and keep them informed of developments.
AnglicareSA is working closely with SA Health, Federal Health, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and support services teams to contain the spread and safeguard the wellbeing of residents and staff. The home will remain closed to visitors until further notice.
Updated, 18 November: Today the State Government announced that South Australia will go into a six-day lockdown from midnight tonight.
There is no doubt that these are challenging times for all South Australians.
Now, more than ever, we must work to safeguard the health of our community and protect our most vulnerable.
As a result of these stringent but necessary measures, we have made significant changes to our services at AnglicareSA.
Please be advised that, as of midnight tonight, reception at all AnglicareSA sites will be closed.
However, our residential aged care sites, our Emergency Assistance sites, including those located at Christies Beach, Gilbert Street in Adelaide City and the Elizabeth Mission, will remain open as essential services.
Our aged care, disability and exceptional needs sites remain closed to visitors until further notice. We appreciate the impact this may have on our residents, customers and their families. Our teams will work to help them remain connected through technology during this challenging time.
Following today’s announcement, there may be changes to the delivery of our programs. Impacted customers will be contacted with specific information.
If you would like to know about the steps we are taking, please contact our team on 1800 560 710.
Together, keep South Australia safe.
Updated, 18 November: AnglicareSA has recorded no new cases of COVID-19 at its Brompton aged care home since yesterday.
Three (3) employees from our Brompton home returned positive test results earlier this week and remain quarantined in medi-hotels.
A further eleven Brompton employees are in mandatory isolation having been identified as close contacts.
All Brompton employees are undergoing a regular testing regime in consultation with SA Health.
We are liaising with all employees daily, including those in medi-hotels and mandatory isolation.
All residents returned negative test results yesterday and will be tested again tomorrow (Thursday). Four residents have been transferred to the RAH as a precautionary measure after they showed mild symptoms. Two of these have since returned to their Brompton home.
We continue to work closely with state and federal health departments to contain the spread of COVID-19 at our Brompton site.
While no Brompton employees work at or have visited any of AnglicareSA’s other residential aged care or disability and exceptional needs services, given the threat of community transmission we took the precautionary measure on Sunday to stop all visitors to these homes until further notice.
AnglicareSA has also advised the majority of its volunteers to cease their roles with us until further notice, to protect their health and wellbeing.
Where possible, all other AnglicareSA services and programs are being delivered online, over the phone or in an otherwise COVID-safe manner.
The health and wellbeing of all of those in our care and that of our volunteers and employees is our focus as we navigate this latest COVID-19 outbreak in South Australia.
AnglicareSA fully supports the new measures announced today by the State Government in an effort to quickly contain the spread of the virus in South Australia.
Updated, 17 November: AnglicareSA has received test results from the first round of COVID-19 testing of residents and employees at its Brompton aged care home.
One further employee has tested positive to COVID-19. Test results for another employee are being reviewed following a potential false positive result. Contact tracing for these two employees is underway.
All residents have been tested and all have returned negative test results. They will be retested at 72 hours and day 12.
A testing regime of employees continues, with a total now of three confirmed COVID-19-positive employees.
AnglicareSA is working closely with SA Health to contain the spread and safeguard the wellbeing of residents and staff. The home will remain closed to visitors until further notice.
Updated, Monday 16 November: AnglicareSA has taken the precautionary measure to notify employees, volunteers, residents and families of our Brompton aged care home that two employees tested positive to COVID-19 on Sunday 15 November.
The employees have not been in attendance at Brompton since Friday 13 November and have not worked at any other AnglicareSA residential aged care home.
Both employees are now quarantined in a medi-hotel.
With immediate effect we have taken the following actions:
- closure of the facility to all visitors;
- a full clean of the site;
- mandatory precautionary testing for all staff and residents — they will be retested at 72 hours and again on day 12;
- isolation for all residents of the facility;
- and all staff now working at the Brompton site are wearing full PPE.
Further, we have immediately taken the additional precaution of limiting access to all residential care settings for aged care and disability services locations for the next 48 hours.
We are reiterating to all staff and volunteers the following current guidance from SA Health:
- Anyone who visited the Parafield Plaza Supermarket between 10.30am and 11.30am on Thursday 12 November monitor for symptoms and get tested immediately if symptoms appear.
- Anyone who attended the Lyell McEwin Hospital emergency department between 5.30pm Friday 13 November to 4.00am Saturday 14 November should present for a COVID-19 test, as they were potentially exposed.
- Monitor SA Health updates for further locations and advice.
AnglicareSA continues to work closely with SA Health and we are taking no chances in safeguarding the wellbeing of our residents and staff. Once we have more details, we will provide a more comprehensive update.
We will provide updates here on the AnglicareSA website as more information is available.
For further information, you can also call AnglicareSA on 1800 560 710 (between 8am-8pm).