Changes to hospital visiting as Sheffield Hospitals
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the City’s five adult hospitals and all adult community services, is changing visiting arrangements from today (20 March) to help protect patients, staff and visitors from coronavirus.
Patients will be asked to identify one family member to be their visitor and they will be restricted to visiting for one hour a day to help limit the foot fall through the hospital.
The Trust is also asking people to come on their own to outpatient appointments if they don’t need someone to accompany them.
Professor Chris Morley, Chief Nurse, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said:
The new rules for inpatient visiting and outpatients apply to the Northern General Hospital, Hallamshire Hospital, Weston Park Hospital, Jessop Wing and Charles Clifford Dental Hospital as well as community health clinics run by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.
No visitors who have flu like symptoms or colds are allowed to visit (including high temperature, a new dry persistent cough and new shortness of breath.)
If it is essential that if are you visiting someone who is an in-patient that you are the1 pre-identified visitor. The same person who has been notified to the ward must be the only visitor each time there is a visit unless there are *exceptional circumstances agreed with the ward in advance.
Vulnerable people must not visit – this would be any person who is immuno-compromised and/ or aged over 70.
All visitors MUST wash their hands on entry and exit to the unit.
No children under 16 to visit unless exceptional circumstances.
Visitors to consider perhaps having shorter visits (with a maximum of one hour stay at a time per day).
Patients who are attending outpatient appointments should consider attending by themselves unless they need someone with them.
*There are some exceptions to the rules: visiting patients at the end of their lives, supporting women in labour and for visitors who need support themselves. In these circumstances, visitors should discuss with the nurse in charge over the phone ahead of the visit.