During this COVID-19 surge, normal hospital, hospice and care home visiting arrangements have been suspended from 15 January 2021.
- General Hospital (including ICU): No face to face visiting – however following a risk assessment, and ensuring a COVID-secure environment, end of life visiting only may be considered.
- Hospice Facilities: One friend, family member or carer may be permitted access to visit – where the environment is assessed as COVID secure – for up to one hour per day. Additionally, following a risk assessment and ensuring a COVID secure environment, end of life visiting should be facilitated.
- Emergency Departments: One person can be facilitated to accompany the patient only where the patient is unable to understand or communicate with staff.
- Outpatient Departments: While it is likely that most OPD appointments will be cancelled, one person can be facilitated to accompany the patient only where the patient is unable to understand or communicate with staff.
- Paediatric/neonatal hospital settings: Any child admitted can be accompanied by one of two nominated parents / caregivers at any given time for the duration of the stay.
- X Ray Departments: One person can be facilitated to accompany the patient only where the patient is unable to understand or communicate with staff.
- Cancer/Burns/Renal Units: End of Life Visiting only.
- Day Procedure Units: One person can be facilitated to accompany the patient only where the patient is unable to understand or communicate with staff.
- Care Homes: Indoor visiting in resident rooms for end of life visiting. Where the home is not in an outbreak, visiting should be facilitated where there are well ventilated designated rooms/visiting pods. Alternatives to face-to-face visiting for all others should be provided.
- Maternity Units: Birth partner will be facilitated to accompany the pregnant woman to dating scan, early pregnancy clinic, anomaly scan, Fetal Medicine Department, when admitted to individual room for active labour (to be determined by midwife) and birth.
- Mental Health Wards: One person to visit only where it is deemed necessary to support the mental health and wellbeing of the patient. Alternatives to face-to-face visiting for all others
- Learning Disability Wards: One person to visit only where it is deemed necessary to support the mental health and wellbeing of the patient. . Alternatives to face-to-face visiting for all others.
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Anyone showing or experiencing the symptoms of COVID-19 or any other infection should not visit, even if these symptoms are mild and unconfirmed. In these circumstances the individual should remain at home and follow the latest public health advice on self-isolation and testing.
All people visiting/attending Health and Social Care Settings will be required to wear face coverings for the foreseeable future. Children under the age of 13 are exempt from wearing a face covering.