Advice for visitors: Together we can help prevent infection

Hospital infections can be introduced and spread by patients and visitors. By following the guidance below, you can help protect vulnerable patients and reduce the spread of infection.

What can you do?

1. Make sure you are in good health before visiting

Please do not visit if you have had diarrhoea or vomiting in the last 48 hours. Please do not visit if you have a heavy cold, flu, chest infection, fever or any other symptoms of infection. . This is particularly important if you are visiting Oncology, Haematology, Transplant or Intensive Care Units.

If you have any open wounds, make sure they are covered with a clean, waterproof dressing before you come into hospital.

2. Have you had contact with people with infections?

Some infectious conditions, for example chicken pox, shingles and mumps may be a problem to patients, especially babies, children and adults with a vulnerable immune system. If you have been in contact with somebody who has an infection named above, check with ward staff before visiting.

While you are visiting:

1. Hand hygiene

Hand hygiene is the most effective way of stopping infections passing from person to person. Clean your hands when you enter or leave the ward, and whenever staff ask you to do so.

Use alcohol hand rub if your hands are clean.

Use soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty, after using the toilet, after contact with bodily fluids, or if the ward team advises this because of diarrhoea, vomiting or Clostridioides difficile.

Please follow the guidance below for best practice:

2. Patients being barrier nursed

If a patient is being barrier nursed in a single room or in a bay, please check with staff before entering. Follow any instructions from staff about masks, personal protective equipment or entering isolation rooms.

General advice

1. In order to assist ward staff in maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness only bring in essential items and try to keep patients’ personal belongings in the designated locker.
2. Follow visiting times and the numbers of visitors allowed.
3. Please do not sit or lie on patients’ beds, use the chairs provided.
4. Do not use the patient toilets.
5. Never touch patients’ wounds, drips, tubes or other medical equipment.. If you do so accidentally, please wash your hands immediately.
6. If you are visiting more than one patient, clean your hands between each visit. Visit non-infectious patients first where possible.
7. If you bring food in for a patient, make sure it is safe to eat, stored correctly and consumed promptly. If this cannot be guaranteed, it should not be brought in. Do not enter ward kitchens unless you have been given permission by ward staff.
8. Children should be supervised at all times and should not crawl on the floor.
9. Check in advance whether gifts such as flowers are allowed, as some wards do not permit them.

If you have any concerns about cleanliness or infection control please speak to ward staff.

Further information

For specific advice about visiting rules, masks, or infection precautions, please check the hospital’s current visitor information pages before you travel.

The Infection Control Team: 01223 217497

Adapted from

• NHS England (n.d.) Chapter 1: Standard infection control precautions (SICPs (opens in a new tab)).
• The Royal College of Nursing (n.d.) MRSA (opens in a new tab)