Information for visitors

Visiting restrictions in our hospitals

We have temporarily changed our visiting arrangements to help respond to coronavirus and protect our staff, visitors and patients. We know that it’s important for our patients to see family and friends but please consider if your visit is essential to help prevent the spread of infection.

Changes – from midday on Saturday 14 March 2020

Visiting will be limited to only essential visitors on all of our wards and departments. Examples of essential visitors are:

• Emergency Department – restricted to one person if needed to provide support
• Those who are unable to make decisions for themselves, in line with the mental capacity act regulations, may be accompanied

Children

Visiting is limited to one parent per day, who may choose to stay all day or for a short period of time, but there should be no swopping or return in same day. One parent is allowed to visit Neonatal Intensive Care, but we are currently awaiting guidance form the neonatal network to understand whether this can be increased to two parents.

Maternity

One birth partner in PPE will be allowed to accompany if the mum-to-be isn’t suspected or positive with Covid-19, though this partner needs to be the same person throughout the birth. Women who are attending for a planned caesarean section can be accompanied by their birth partner to the ward and can be present in Theatre during the operation. The birth partner will be asked to wear a surgical face mask and adhere to infection prevention and control measures during this time.

The birth partner will be supported to stay with mother and baby in the recovery area on labour ward prior to transfer to the postnatal ward. Once on the postnatal ward we would ask that the birth partner returns home. Sadly we can’t allow birth partners or visitors to the maternity ward or attend Pregnancy Assessment Unit/Maternity assessment Unit or antenatal clinics (all settings). If being induced, the birth partner can attend the initial admission and then return home while awaiting labour.

End of Life Care

Visiting is limited to one visitor and in accord with the patient’s wishes, with those visiting wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Our Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) will provide support if family members are unable to visit via phone or virtual communication (for example, Skype, WhatsApp) and will also act as a patient-family intermediary to exchange messages/letters etc.

Mortuary

We have taken the decision to restrict viewings only to instances where police identification is required by the coroner (in which case there must be a police presence). Whilst we appreciate the distress this may cause to families in the short term, the Trust must take measures to reduce the risk of staff contracting the virus, either from a patient or visitor to hospitals during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Please follow all of our infection control measures if you do come to hospital: 

• You should avoid coming to the hospital if you are feeling unwell, including with cold or flu symptoms 
• Wash or gel your hands as soon as you enter a ward or unit 
• Follow the additional measures that will be requested by our staff if you are visiting a patient with an infection.

Further to the visiting restrictions in place, we are also providing chaplaincy and bereavement support for patients and their families of all faiths and none. A series of booklets with words from various different faith traditions have been created for ward staff to use at the End of Life. We have made arrangements for provision of Last Rites with families, but this may take place off the ward where necessary.

Contacting our wards

We understand that it is important to contact your loved ones while they are in hospital. Where possible, we encourage relatives and friends to call the patient directly or have a video call. If you want to contact the ward for updates, we would be grateful if one person from the family can be the nominated contact, who then keeps the rest of the family and friends informed. This helps to keep our phone lines as clear as possible for other families who need updates.

We know that it’s important for our patients to see family and friends but please consider if your visit is essential to help prevent the spread of infection. Visiting will be limited to only essential visitors on all of our wards and departments as per the above guidance.