As a healthcare provider, we have taken a cautious approach to infection prevention and control measures to help protect our patients and our staff over the last two years, including our visiting policy.
In light of the increased incidence of respiratory infections in the community, the Trust is restricting visiting to reduce the risk to patients:
Non-urgent advice: Visiting - key information
- Visiting times will be restricted to 15:00-17:00 and 19:00-20:00 on all adult wards
- A maximum of two visitors per patient at any one time (must be over the age of 12).
- Please do not visit if you have any Covid-19 symptoms or have tested positive for Covid-19 within 10 days. Please do not visit a patient if you are feeling unwell.
- Masks to be worn in all clinical patient-facing areas - With Covid-19 cases rising in the local community and in our hospitals, we are reinstating the requirement to wear face masks in all clinical patient-facing areas with immediate effect. We are taking this step to reduce further spread of Covid and keep patients and staff safe. We will continue to keep our Covid Secure guidance under regular review.
- PICU/NICU: We will support two resident parents/carers and one child at the bedside in PICU and NICU. Specific PICU and NICU guidance should be discussed directly with the ward.
- Children’s services inpatients: We will support two people at the bedside and one sibling (one resident carer and one visitor with sibling) in children’s services inpatient areas. Visiting will be from 08.00-19.00.
- Please come directly to/leave directly from your visit – please do not visit other areas of the hospital.
- Additional visiting may be allowed on compassionate grounds, this will be discussed and arranged directly with the ward.
If you have Covid-19 symptoms or feel unwell
Please do not visit a patient if you have any Covid-19 symptoms, have tested positive for Covid-19 within 10 days or are feeling unwell.
Non-Covid inpatient wards
We will allow two visitors at a time (both must be over the age of 12) for patients in our adult inpatient and critical care wards, between the hours of 15:00-17:00 and 19:00-20:00 (with the exception of protected meal times).
These visits do not have to be booked in advance.
These two visitors can be different people over the duration of the patient’s stay.
Visiting is allowed from the time of admission.
Please wash your hands on entering our hospitals, and when entering and leaving the clinical/ward areas. Please go directly to/from the ward area and avoid visiting other areas of the hospital.
Masks to be worn in all clinical patient-facing areas – with immediate effect
With Covid-19 cases rising in the local community and in our hospitals, we are reinstating the requirement to wear face masks in all clinical patient-facing areas with immediate effect.
We are taking this step to reduce further spread of Covid and keep patients and staff safe.
We will continue to keep our Covid Secure guidance under regular review.
If you are exempt from wearing a mask, please consider if you are the right person to be the named visitor as you may be placing yourself at increased risk.
Specific caring roles
Where carers are needed to ensure the safe care of a patient on the ward (such as patients who have dementia, delirium or learning disabilities) a local agreement will be reached on the length of time that carers will stay and support the patient. Anyone who falls into this category must wear their carer’s passport (ID badge) which is available on the wards.
End of life care
Special arrangements are in place to try to accommodate the family and friends of patients receiving end-of-life care, allowing them to spend meaningful time with their loved ones in their final days and weeks. These arrangements will be discussed directly with the ward.
Virtual visiting and our Letters from Loved Ones service continue, so please talk to our ward teams about these services.
Letters from Loved Ones and virtual visiting
If you have a loved one in one of our hospitals, you can stay in touch with them through their own electronic device or use our Letters from Loved Ones service.
For our Letters from Loved Ones service, you are able to bring items to the hospital on weekdays (Monday to Friday) between 09:00 and 16:00 only. We are unable to accept food which perishes quickly, as there may be a delay of several hours before the items can be delivered. We understand that personal possessions and treats are important for patients’ wellbeing, but please be considerate and limit items to those which are most important to the patient.
We also offer virtual visiting and each of our adult wards has an iPad to help this. To arrange a virtual visit, please call the ward where your loved one is staying to find out which slots are available.
Covid wards
Visiting is still not allowed on wards where we are treating patients with Covid. This is to minimise the risk of transmission and to protect our patients, visitors and staff.
Visiting may be allowed on compassionate grounds. These arrangements will be discussed directly with the ward.
Please bear with us and:
- use virtual visiting when you are able
- be as flexible as you can when we ask – we will only ask if we need to
Maternity services
For maternity services Covid related information, including visiting restrictions please read the Rosie Hospital coronavirus update.
Children’s services
We will support two people at the bedside and one sibling (one resident carer and one visitor with sibling) in children’s services inpatient areas. Visiting will be from 08.00-19.00.
Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) & Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
We will support two resident parents/carers and one child at the bedside in PICU and NICU. Specific PICU and NICU guidance should be discussed directly with the ward.
Outpatients
Patients attending our outpatients department can be accompanied by one adult if needed. Please be aware that the department has a maximum capacity for health and safety reasons – if this capacity is reached we may ask those accompany patients to wait outside of the department.
Emergency Department (A&E)
Patients attending our Emergency Department can be accompanied by one adult.
Please be aware that our waiting area has a maximum capacity for safety reasons. Those people accompany patients may be asked to wait outside of the department if this capacity is reached.