We are pleased to announce that we have started to reinstate visiting across our sites. From Monday 14th February, in-patients at our hospital sites will now be able to welcome visitors following temporary restrictions that had to be put in place as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Traditional visiting hours will be replaced with designated times for visitors to see their loved ones. All patients will be allowed up to two visitors for a minimum of one hour per day. Those who would like to arrange a visit to see their loved one are asked to contact the ward directly to be given an allocated time slot. Local variations to visiting access may apply in some areas, please contact the ward for more information.
This is obviously very positive news, first and foremost, for our patients and their families. However it’s also a real step forward for our front line colleagues, who have seen the very real impact that visiting restrictions have had. We thank you for your patience and support during this time, we know it’s not been an easy situation for people receiving care and for their families and loved ones.
Whilst we are pleased to be able to lift restrictions, we will continue to ask that when visiting our hospitals, people remain vigilant in following our current visiting policies.
We will be asking that people only visit loved ones if they feel well and have no COVID-19 symptoms.
We will also urge visitors to continue to wear a mask when on any hospital or service site, using sanitiser on entering and exiting buildings and practice good hand hygiene.
The health, safety and wellbeing of the public, our patients, communities, and staff across the organisation continues to remain our absolute priority.