Ross Community Hospital wards closed to visitors

The wards at Ross Community Hospital have been closed to visitors due to cases of seasonal influenza, except on compassionate grounds.

As a preventative measure visiting to both wards at Ross Community Hospital has been stopped to prevent the further spread of seasonal flu which is affecting some patients.

Whilst its business as usual for outpatient services at the hospital, patients should only attend hospital appointments if they have been free from flu symptoms for 24 hours.  Please also remember to practice good hand hygiene and use the alcohol gels available in the hospital entry points in order to prevent any further spread of flu. 

Venkat Sivaprakasam, consultant microbiologist at Wye Valley NHS Trust, said:  “There continues to be cases of seasonal influenza across the country as expected for this time of year and this kind of outbreak often comes from within the community. Experience has shown that restricting visiting can lessen the chance of spread to both patients and visitors and other areas of the hospital. 

“If you cough or sneeze, follow the simple advice from the NHS which is to use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose, throw it away carefully after use, and wash your hands. 

“We would like to thank all patients and visitors for their understanding during this period and to emphasise that these restrictions are in place to protect our patients, as part of our zero tolerance approach to healthcare associated infections”.