Hospital visiting
COVID-19 visiting arrangements from 14 July 2021
A further easing of our visiting restrictions came into place on 14 July 2021.
The new arrangements are as follows:
All patients will be allowed one named adult visitor for the duration of their hospital stay whilst on the inpatient wards; unless exceptional circumstances arise (see below).
All visits must be approved by the nurse in charge before the visitor comes to the hospital.
The named visitor is advised to undertake lateral flow testing which must be recorded on the national testing database. If you are unable to do this, you may need to consider an alternative named person.
Even if you have had a negative lateral flow test, you must not visit if you have been:
- in contact with someone who has had confirmed COVID-19 in the last 10 days
- told to isolate by NHS Track and Trace
- returned from an amber or red country within the last 10 days
- or experiencing any of the symptoms associated with possible COVID-19
The visitor information form [pdf] 42KB will need to be completed. The visitor must accept they visit at their own risk.
Visits will be for no longer than 1 hour each day, at a time agreed by the ward team.
Appropriate PPE, specifically a surgical facemask, must be worn (a face covering is not acceptable). Social distancing guidance must be followed at all times.
Visitors must be directed to use the appropriate hand hygiene facilities before and after visiting.
Visitors must not visit any other patient within the ward/bay/hospital.
Visitors must sit on the visitor chair provided and not the patient chair. The visitor chair must be cleaned by a member of staff after use.
An Inpatient visiting care plan [pdf] 57KB will be completed and inserted into the patient record to allow contact tracing should the need arise. If the care plan cannot be located please record visitor details in the patient record.
Prior to visiting visitors will be expected to use the public facilities as these will not be available on the ward.
Visitors will be advised not to bring any unnecessary items for the patient including food and drinks.
Visiting will be by exception only if a ward is closed as a result of an outbreak or is a designated COVID-19 ward.
The existing arrangements, which allow a greater number of visitors in exceptional circumstances, such as patients nearing the end of life, children and neonates, long-stay patients, and in maternity services, are unchanged.
We will continue to review our visiting arrangements on a fortnightly basis. These arrangements may be tightened or relaxed further depending on the level of the coronavirus in our population.
Maternity services
From the beginning of pregnancy, all partners or support persons must commence twice-weekly COVID-19 testing to enable approved visiting and attendance at appointments.
Pregnant women and people can have one support partner with them at:
- early pregnancy unit appointments
- all maternity scan appointments including growth scans
- all antenatal clinic appointments (community and hospital)
- all community postnatal appointments
- day assessment visits
- throughout labour in the delivery suite and birth centres
- subject to individual approval, between 2pm and 5pm every day on Wheal Fortune (transitional care)
- Wheal Rose – your midwife will discuss with you further on the day or please phone the night before if you have a planned admission booked
There may be limitations in visiting which differ from day to day and to protect everyone a daily risk assessment will take place on Wheal Rose each day.
Exceptional circumstances
These will be referred by the ward leader/manager for approval by a member of the care group triumvirate /senior leadership team and approved by one member of the executive triumvirate or out-of-hours executive on call.
Keeping in touch when you’re unable to visit
Many patients with smartphones and mobile devices are keeping in touch using our free hospital Wi-Fi. However, we know that not all patients have this technology and we are helping them to keep in touch with Trust devices, telephone, and other messaging options.