Visiting restrictions reinstated at Peterborough City Hospital and Hinchingbrooke due to Covid
From today visiting restrictions will be reinstated at Peterborough City Hospital and Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon.
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust which runs both hospitals says it's because of rising cases of covid in the local community.
The Trust hopes the extra measures will prevent the virus being brought into the hospitals by external visitors and ultimately protect patients.
Visiting restrictions will apply to all visitors except in the following circumstances:
End of life patients – two people will be allowed to visit for patients receiving end of life care.
One parent/ carer per child – this is for children as inpatients as well as those attending for outpatient appointments or coming to the UTC or emergency department
One carer is permitted for any patient requiring a carer who is an inpatient as well as those attending for outpatient appointments or coming to the UTC or emergency department
Visitors to maternity services and NICU/SCBU are not affected.
Jo Bennis, Chief Nurse said: “Restricting visiting is always a very last resort for us and something that we only look at doing when we know that the safety of our patients and staff is compromised.
“We completely appreciate the upset this decision causes to our patients and their relatives, and we are sorry we’re still in a situation where these measures are necessary.
"It is important to remember however, that we must take all sensible precautions to prevent the spread of this virus.
We know all too well how devastating the effects can be, especially to those who are already vulnerable.”
The Trust says they had hoped to avoid increasing visitor restrictions and initially wanted to request evidence of a negative lateral flow test. However this was found not to be sufficient.
Jo Bennis, Chief Nurse said: “On further discussion and in review of the rise in cases within our hospitals, alongside us sitting within an ERA, that wouldn’t be sufficient for us to ensure we are doing all we can to help stop the virus being brought in to our patients from visitors."
Peterborough and Cambridgeshire are currently in an Enhanced Response Area for Covid-19.
Rising rates in older people and pressures on local health and education services led to the Councils who are both responsible for public health to ask Government to grant the whole area ‘enhanced response area’ status for at least five weeks from Monday November 1.
The aim is to bring down infection rates which are higher in some areas than in January’s peak.