Patients at Oxfordshire hospitals can have visitors again as cases of coronavirus fall
Patients at hospitals in Oxfordshire will be able to have visitors again as cases of Covid-19 fall.
From Monday (22 March), The John Radcliffe Hospital, the Churchill in Headington, and the Horton General hospital in Banbury will be introducing the 'rule of one'.
It means in-patients can have one visitor, for one hour, per day.
However visitors will not be allowed in the emergency department and all visits must be booked in advance.
Some patients will have different arrangements, such as maternity patients, child patients, patients at the end of their life, and patients with learning difficulties.
Sam Foster, Chief Nursing Officer at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, says staff are pleased to welcome back visitors as cases of Covid-19 decrease in the region to 50 per 100,000.
She said: "It is terribly important for patients. We've got some patients in our Trust who have gone for maybe three months without seeing a loved one."
"So the social interaction, the knowing what's going on at home, the face-to-face conversations, the mental health benefits, and of course the discharge planning benefits; there's so many benefits to being able to see your loved ones."
"It is still as important as ever that our visitor follow rules around hand hygiene, wearing a face mask, and social distancing when in our hospitals.
"These are the best ways to keep us all safe, and ensure that controlled visiting can remain in place."