Important update: Adjustment to visitor restrictions (Residential Aged Care)

From Brightwater CEO Jennifer Lawrence:

In March, Brightwater restricted visitors to our residential sites due the COVID-19 pandemic to keep your loved ones safe. 

To date all of our sites remain COVID-19 free.

We have been regularly reviewing our visitor restrictions and given that Western Australia has slowed the infection rate, we have made the decision to relax some of the current restrictions.

From tomorrow, 1 May 2020, we will be allowing families to visit our sites on a restricted basis. These restrictions are:

• All visits must be pre-booked. Details of the site booking email and phone numbers have been emailed to all primary contacts of our clients
• Each resident will be able to have one allocated visit per day, with a maximum of two hours of visitation per day and a maximum of two people at any given time
• Visitors will be limited to only four nominated people per client to ensure the number of people moving in and out of our site is reduced. Please discuss this with your family prior to booking to determine who those four people within your family will be
• Visits will be restricted to designated time blocks as advised by your site on booking
• Entry will be restricted to a single point of entry as advised by your site on booking – this will ensure appropriate screening is in place (see below)
• Social distancing and good hand hygiene will apply at all times
• Visits will be restricted to a residents own room or a designated visiting area
• No visits during mealtimes, as it is difficult to adhere to social distancing during this activity
• In the event that your loved one is, or two or more residents within your loved one’s site are, undergoing COVID-19 testing, all visits will be suspended until results are known.  The site will call you on the day of your visit if this is the case
• Visitors can only visit their relative
• Provide proof of your flu vaccine each time you visit
• Have your temperature checked prior to any visit by our staff upon arrival
• Visitor screening procedures will be in place and we will ask you to:
  • Complete a questionnaire and the following people will not be allowed to enter:
    • Visitors who have returned from interstate or overseas in the last 14 days
    • Visitors who have been in contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19 in the last 14 days
    • Visitors with a fever or symptoms of a respiratory illness
    • Children under 16 years, except in special circumstances such as end of life circumstances

Other important information:

We still have in place all other current methods of communication with your loved ones, so if you don’t have to visit, this does remain the best way to keep them safe. 

We encourage you to consider Skype calls, phone calls, emails, letters and care packages where possible.

COVIDSafe App

We would also encourage you to download the COVIDSAFE app on your phone. This is an app that has been launched by the Government to assist with contact tracing in the event of a positive COVID-19 test and is a useful tool in helping to keep everyone safe.

You can find out more about the app here.

Intrastate Travel Restrictions

If your loved one is in one of our facilities outside of the State Government intrastate zone, please apply for a GTG Pass here.

Regular Reviews

We will be regularly reviewing our visitor restrictions, as we have done to date.

The safety of our community is our priority and if we have to we will review this process again and provide you with an update.

It is important that this process is managed to ensure the continued safety and well-being of all of our clients, so we thank you for your continued support in keeping everyone safe.

We are in this together.