Strict hospital visiting restrictions are eased

As the number of patients with confirmed Covid-19 infections in hospitals in east Dorset reduces, visiting restrictions have been relaxed at the Royal Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole hospitals.

To prevent the spread of the illness, visiting had been restricted to all but essential family members at the discretion of clinical staff, often for patients receiving end of life care.

Now, some patients who have tested negative for Covid-19 in hospital may have one visitor, for no more than one hour per day.

Visitors must:

• Ring the ward or unit to check they are allowing visitors and to book their visit before travelling. This is essential to ensure that social distancing is maintained on each ward.
• Wear a face covering at all times in hospital
• Have no Covid-19 symptoms themselves
• Not be shielding due to an increased risk of serious illness from Covid-19.

Patients who were shielding at home before being admitted to hospital may only be visited by members of their household.

Fiona Hoskins, deputy director of nursing at the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch hospitals, said: “It is really encouraging to see far fewer patients in our hospital who have coronavirus, and to see some elements of hospital life start to return, for example some routine services and appointments.

“However, we must remain vigilant and be mindful that coronavirus has not gone away.”

Denise Richards, deputy director of nursing at Poole Hospital, added: “Our staff continue to work incredibly hard to care for all our patients in a safe environment and we need the public’s ongoing support to enable us to carry on doing this.

“All hospital visitors will need to wear a face covering, and be aware that there will still be some restrictions due to social distancing measures which we appreciate can be difficult, but it is essential to slow the spread of the infection.”