Home carer forced to self-isolate

A Nelson home support worker has been forced into self-isolation after a client tested positive for coronavirus.

The Access Community Health worker learned of the client’s positive result about a week after visiting her and in that time had provided personal care to 20 elderly clients.

The case comes as the Ministry of Health revealed on Thursday that 20 home support workers had tested positive for coronavirus – the largest group among 64 healthcare workers with the virus.

E tu¯ union, which represents home support workers, said members were not being provided with enough face masks.

The Nelson carer did not have any masks when she visited the client who later tested positive for the virus, E tu¯ director Kirsty McCully said.

Access Community Health said the client was asymptomatic at the time of the visit and the company followed Ministry guidelines on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

The most recent ministry advice was that masks could be provided to clients if they had respiratory symptoms. Earlier advice had suggested masks could be used by essential workers if they could not maintain a 2-metre distance and were with someone for 15 minutes or more.

McCully said measures to keep home support workers and their clients safe were inadequate. Many workers were still not getting enough PPE supplied she said.

The Nelson worker, who did not want to be named, was referred to a testing centre by Healthline and advised to self-isolate for at least seven days. But her local manager said she could probably return to work the next day as ‘‘there was no such thing as a carrier’’, McCully said.

Access Health disputes the manager said that.

‘‘All staff members who are being tested for Covid-19 remain in self isolation until the test results are returned and do not return to work until cleared to do so by their medical practitioner or Healthline,’’ chief executive Alison Van Wyk said.

The woman’s test result came back negative on Thursday. McCully said the worker was happy she had been tested as she wanted to be confident she would not put her clients at risk.

Home support workers have called for screening of new clients, consistent client lists, and enough face masks for each visit.