Visiting restrictions eased further at WVT hospitals

Wye Valley NHS Trust has eased visiting arrangements further at its hospitals which means that inpatients can now have one daily visit from a family member or friend from the first day of their hospital stay.

The visitor must be aged 16 or over and it can be a different visitor each day - patients no longer need to nominate a single visitor.

All visits must be arranged in advance with the nurse in charge so that social distancing can be maintained. Although social distancing has been eased in public spaces, it is still in force across NHS premises - so the Trust has extended visiting times to give more flexibility while allowing it to maintain social distancing.

The new arrangements, which come into play tomorrow (Wednesday, February 23), apply to the general wards at Hereford County Hospital and the three community hospitals at Ross-on-Wye, Leominster and Bromyard.

Lucy Flanagan, Chief Nursing Officer at the Trust, said: “We’re very pleased to be able to expand our visiting arrangements to support our patients and their loved ones during their hospital stay.

“All we ask is that any visit is booked with the nurse in charge first and that visitors wear a surgical mask and maintain good hand hygiene. Patients will also be required to wear a surgical mask during the visit if clinically appropriate.

“Unfortunately, children under the age of 16 are not allowed to visit, unless they are attending in a caring capacity. However, a parent with babes-in-arms (up to one year of age), who is visiting one of the areas below, in line with the visiting restrictions in place, will be supported to do so.

“Importantly, anyone with a COVID positive test or showing symptoms of coronavirus, or if they feel unwell with another illness, must not visit our hospitals or wards, even if these symptoms are mild or intermittent, due to the risk they pose to others.

“We will continue to require that visitors undertake a lateral flow test and have a negative result prior to visiting.

“We know how important these visits are to patients and their families and we would like to thank everyone for their understanding while we have these measures in place for the safety of our patients,” added Lucy.