Three residents tested positive for the debilitating norovirus.
Listed company Summerset’s $40 million Dunedin facility, Bishopscourt, is in Shetland St, Wakari. It opened in January 2013 and now has about 140 residents.
A resident’s relative contacted the ODT about the matter during the weekend, believing it was inadequate she saw no warning signs for visitors to Bishopscourt last week.
Summerset was contacted yesterday and senior communications adviser Michelle Brooker confirmed the almost fortnight-long outbreak, which had since been contained.
Norovirus is highly contagious and is caught by ingesting contaminated food or water.
It is considered one of the most common causes of gastroenteritis, leading to stomach or intestinal infection, prompting vomiting and diarrhoea.
Fifteen residents in the care centre only, not rest-home residents, became sick between November 25 and December 7. Three subsequently tested positive for norovirus and the five sick staff were sent home.
No-one was admitted to hospital, Ms Brooker said. Patients were treated by being kept in quarantine and hydrated.
"We think it [norovirus] was brought in externally, but that’s been difficult to confirm," she said.
There had been a gastroenteritis outbreak at Bishopscourt in August and also during 2015, she said.
She said Public Health South in Dunedin was notified of the norovirus and a report had since been delivered, which Ms Brooker said had confirmed Summerset had correctly followed protocols.
"We shut the care centre. It was in lockdown," Ms Brooker said.
The health report will be provided to the ODT today by Summerset.
On the question of a lack of signs, Ms Brooker said there were signs next to lifts and doors.
Anyone who got as far as reception at the second-storey care centre would not have been admitted. The Bishopscourt facility includes villas, apartments and serviced apartments, as well as a range of aged-care services, from in-home support to rest-home and hospital-level care.
Summerset has 27 aged-care facilities across the country.
Six are still under development, but nearing completion, and more than 3800 residents in total.It is a four-time Retirement Village of the Year winner. It first listed on the NZX on November 2011, its assets now top more than $1.5 billion and its market capitalisation is around $1 billion.
Summerset advised the sharemarket in October that its predicted underlying profit for the year to December would be in the range of $53 million to $55 million - 40% to 46% up on last year’s $37.8 million.
