Covid update: 13 September 2022   

Yesterday the government dropped the mask and vaccine mandates for all workplaces except health care and aged care facilities. As hospice falls within health care, we continue to operate similarly to conditions at the former orange traffic light alert system.

• Visiting hours to the In-Patient Unit (IPU) in Invercargill are 9am-8pm Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm Saturday to Sunday.
• Visitors must sign in and have their temperature taken.
• Only 2 visitors per patient room at a time (unless death is imminent).
• Masks are compulsory as is hand sanitation and 1 metre social distancing. 

All our hospice shops are open and customers do not need to wear a mask.

Doctors at full strength

November 2022

Hospice Southland now has a full quota of doctors; it’s so good to see the full clinical team now.

Katie Weatherstone has joined us from Auckland as our new medical director, while Neil Cremasco, a GP from rural Southland, has joined as a medical officer. Thomas Joseph, who used to work at hospice, has returned and will do some evening and weekend work for us.

Ian Koh, who came to us from Scotland last year as a medical officer, is moving to Melbourne and intends to study palliative care so may return to us when he is qualified. Merril Drew, who came to us from London last year, continues to be a very bright star for us. The doctors are joined by our excellent nurse practitioner Lisa Henderson, who rounds out the team.

Palliative care is specialised and quite stressful, and while not matching the intensity of a busy hospital emergency department, here we have patients who are very unwell, need to have pain managed, need to have their medications reviewed, and are wondering what the journey ahead of them will be like.

Having a full quota of doctors means we can have a one-in-five roster system; this allows the doctors time for professional development, holidays, and to be with family and friends. It’s very important to keep a good work life balance.

All members of our clinical team just love Southland. We know Southland’s charms and it’s great to have external people come to the region and discover all it has to offer as well.

Hospice Southland is blessed to now have such a strong team. It’s you as our community that help make this happen and we are so grateful for all the support you give.

- Flora Gilkison, CEO, Hospice Southland