News

To family, friends and the people we support,

Let’s spare a thought for all our friends in Auckland and Northland as the rest of us prepare to move to COVID-19 lockdown Level 3. We hope those of you in the top of the North will soon be able to go to Level 3 too.

We all know the joke about Level 3 – that it’s Level 4 with takeaways.

That’s actually a good analogy for us all to remember. We are utterly committed to people’s safety and therefore not a lot changes at Level 3.

What’s still the same:

• People will continue to be supported at home with no activities out in the community. People will still be supported to get fresh air and exercise.
• People who live with their families still need to stay in their bubbles and not come to join in activities. If you need support please get in touch with your local staff.
• We will not be accepting visitors. This is a requirement from Government. We are however, at Level 3, able to consider visits on compassionate grounds (such as end of life). Please speak to your Service Manager if you need to. They will be able to raise this with our clinical team and senior managers.
• We will continue to support people to stay in touch with family and friends via the phone or online. We know it’s tough not to be able to visit and that some people find it hard to communicate online or on the phone. Please talk to our staff.
• We will continue to keep our bubbles small to minimise risk to everyone and to meet Government requirements.

For those of us who can make the move to Level 3, it’s a great indication of progress and I look forward to us all being able to get out and about more and catch up with each other in future.

In the meantime, we must all continue to be vigilant and support each other.

Please – get a vaccination and stay safe.

Ralph Jones
IHC Group Chief Executive