1 August 2020 

Dear Residents and Families and Friends 

I am writing to advise you that this morning I received notification that an Allied Health Practitioner who attended the home on Tuesday 28 July 2020 has tested positive to COVID-19. I anticipate that by the time you receive this letter you will have received a phone call from Doutta Galla staff to let you know about the current situation at Woornack. 

Doutta Galla has immediately activated its emergency response plan which includes working closely with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Public Health Unit, to ensure testing is conducted at the Home and contact tracing is completed quickly. A time for testing has not been advised, however based on our previous experience, it could be tomorrow or Monday. We will advise you of the results as soon as we receive them. Please note that results have been taking 2-3 days to come through. 

I want to assure you that currently we do not have any residents or staff showing symptoms of COVID 19 and are implementing our emergency response plan as precautionary at this time. 

Staff will encourage Woornack residents to remain in their rooms and staff will wear full personal protective equipment (PPE) when attending to residents. We have briefed our staff and they continue to be committed to the ongoing care and support of our residents. Additional staff will also be rostered to support residents and ensure the highest standard of infection control protocols and practices are in place. 

In addition to the support Doutta Galla staff can provide you, we have spoken to Elder Rights Advocacy and they are happy to provide additional support to family members. You can contact them on 1800 171 866 for COVID-19 information and support. This phone line is open Monday to Friday 8.30am-6pm. We are also working with Elder Rights Advocacy to provide emotional support for residents. 

We will advise you immediately of any changes to your family member’s health status, however if you have an enquiry or concern, please call Woornack on 9312 0111. As well the email address where you can send any questions, comments or concerns related to COVID-19 is covid19questions@dgas.org.au. 

We will keep in touch with the nominated resident representative on a regular basis to inform you of any changes to the situation. 

Thankyou once again for your support during this challenging time. 

Yours sincerely, 

Vanda Iaconese
CEO