COVID-19: Changes to Visitors Policy

Visiting guidelines for Whittington Hospital's Adult Inpatient Wards

Update June 2022

We recognise the contribution visiting makes to the well-being of our patients and its importance to providing patient-centred care. In addition, not having visitors can cause a feeling of isolation and distress to patients and their loved ones.

With the decreasing Covid-19 infections in both the wider community and the Trust, in addition to the gradual easing and changes to the IPC guidance in the healthcare setting, the Trust has reviewed the Visitor Guidance, with a view to moving our visiting guidelines as close to near pre-pandemic as possible.

Visits from patient�s relatives, care givers and friends should be encouraged and supported where possible. It is no longer necessary to limit visitors to a few pre-designated visitors.
A patient may have 2 visitors per visit each day between the hours of 2pm and 8pm. The visit can last for one hour.
Siblings can visit other Children/ young people who are inpatients
Numbers of visitors permitted on the ward at any one time will depend on the ward activities on the day and the capacity of the ward; this will be a locally made decision
Visitors are still required to contact the ward to book their visit; this is so that staff can manage numbers on the ward to avoid overcrowding.
Where possible, patients attending an appointment in one of our outpatient settings may have one person to accompany them. Due to space or the event of possible overcrowding, this will be a locally made decision.
Due to limited space in the Emergency Department, it will not always be possible for all patients to have someone accompany them, so this remains based on patient need.
Patients in the chemotherapy unit may have someone to accompany them to the pre-chemotherapy assessment and their first chemotherapy treatment
Carers will always be supported to accompany patients.

Visiting guidelines for Whittington Hospital's Adult Inpatient Wards section 2

Maternity Services
Please read our Covid-19 Maternity FAQs to get the latest advice on visitors, birth partners and any other restrictions or guidance we have in place at this time.

Children and Young People's Services

One parent can stay with their child at all times. The paediatric inpatient unit staff will risk assess the environment to ensure IPC standards are maintained if a family wanted more than one sibling to visit at the same time. Please follow this link for more information about Children and Young People's Services visiting advice.

Visitors for patients in infectious isolation:

This will be decided on an individual basis, and the ward clinicians and IPC team will work together to ensure the best interests of the patient, are weighed against the infection risk to the visitor.
Where face to face visits are not practical, teams can use virtual methods for patients to keep in touch with their loved ones. Mobile phones and tablets are available on each ward for this purpose.

All visitors will need to comply with our Infection Control principles:

A face mask will be provided at hospital entrances as well as clinical areas. This fluid repellent surgical mask is the minimum PPE requirement for most areas
Any additional PPE will need to be worn in line with the clinical area you are visiting
Wear your mask over your nose and mouth during your visit, do not put it under your nose or lower it to talk. Please discuss with staff if lip reading is required.
Wash or sanitise your hands on entering the ward and the bay.
Do not sit on the patient�s bed.
Do not walk around the bay, please just stay with your relative/ friend
Visiting may change at short notice if a bay requires temporary closure for an infection or due to changes in national guidance.

Please do not visit if you have symptoms of a respiratory illness (cold/flu-like illness) , have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 10 days or have any diarrhoea or vomiting symptoms.

Symptoms include:

High temperature, fever or chills
New, continuous cough
A loss or alteration to taste or smell
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Headache that is unusual or longer lasting than usual
Diarrhoea, feeling sick or being sick
Muscle aches or pains that are not due to exercise
Runny/stuffy nose, sore throat

Last updated22 Jul 2022