NEW and more relaxed patient visiting guidelines were put in place across the Alexandra, Kidderminster and Worcestershire Royal Hospitals from Monday to enable patients and their loved ones to be reconnected in a safe way.
Patients are now be able to receive one visitor-a-day for a pre-booked 45 minute visit, with two separate visitors able to register to visit during the patient’s hospital stay. Separate measures will still be in place for patients identified as requiring compassionate visiting.
To ensure visits can be managed in a safe way, visitors will be asked to log onto worcsacute.nhs.uk to book their visit through a visiting app.
Where patients do not have access to or cannot use the app, they will be asked to contact the ward via hospital switchboards to arrange their visit.
Chief nursing officer at the Trust Paula Gardner extended thanks and gratitude to patients, their families and loved ones for their understanding and adherence to the very strict hospital visiting rules it had to impose during the pandemic.
“We recognise the contribution visiting makes to the wellbeing and person-centred care of our patients, and the support and love families and friends bring.
“Our new guidance will enable us to ease visiting restrictions and reconnect our patients and their loved ones in a safe and managed way.
“With Covid infections still commonplace in our local communities we need to ensure we continue to exercise caution, and I want to stress this is not a full return to normality.”
She added the new measures were safe, proportionate and responsible and the trust looked forward to gradually easing further restrictions as circumstances allowed.
Visit worcsacute.nhs.uk/visiting for the full patient visiting guidance and a link to the visiting app.
The new guidance applies to inpatient ward areas.
Visiting guidelines for maternity, neonatal and children’s wards remain unchanged and can be accessed via the Trust website.
Carers are welcome and are not considered ‘visitors’.
