Information for visitors

Information on visiting

Introduction

We encourage relatives and friends to visit patients. However, patients can get tired very quickly and we ask that this be respected to aid their recovery. For this reason, the number of visitors each patient is allowed is usually restricted to no more than 2 people at any one time. It’s therefore important that you check the arrangements with the ward/areas where you are visiting your loved one.

When visiting, always clean your hands using soap and water or alcohol hand rub. Do this when you enter or leave a patient’s room or other areas of the hospital. If you are concerned about the hand hygiene of doctors, nurses or anyone else you come into contact within hospital, you’re encouraged to ask them whether they have cleaned their hands.

You must not visit someone in hospital if you have any signs or symptoms of COVID-19, a cough or cold, diarrhoea, vomiting or any infectious diseases.

Patients like to receive gifts whilst in hospital such as books, fruit or magazines but it’s important not to clutter the patient’s bed area. You may not be allowed to bring certain foods into the hospital- so please check with the ward area. Most clinical areas don’t accept flowers.

Violence and aggression towards staff, patients or members of the public are not tolerated in any hospital. Assault is a crime, and the trust may seek legal penalties for anyone behaving in this way.

When visiting someone in hospital please:

• Do not sit on a patient’s bed as it can spread germs, please use the chairs provided.
• Do not put your feet on a patient’s bed.
• Do not touch a patient’s wound or any medical equipment they are attached to including drips and catheters. This can cause infections.
• Do not use patient toilets, please use the hospital public toilets.

Visiting

Visiting restrictions in recent years has been impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On the 8^th of March 2022 NHS England released new guidance titled Living with COVID-19 – Visiting healthcare inpatient settings: principles. This guidance opens up visiting for all with little restriction. However, any future infectious disease outbreaks/pandemics will require further review to maintain patient, staff, visitors and public safety and will consider any future NHS England guidance and recommendations.

At Bradford Teaching Hospitals there are designated times at which you can visit your friends or relative. Each area will provide information about when you can visit, please bear in mind that there may be different visiting restrictions in different areas. These restrictions are outlined in further detail below.

General inpatient wards

Visiting times will be 1400-1930. Each patient will be allowed 2 visitors at any one time.

Maternity Visiting

Labour ward and Birth centre

2 birth partners are permitted for the full duration of their time.

Antenatal/Postnatal Wards (M3 & M4)

1 partner or support person is permitted to stay for 24 hours.

Maternity Assessment Centre and Antenatal Day Unit

1 support partner is permitted. In addition to the partner / support person staying for a 24 hour period, the visiting times are:

• 13:00 – 14:00 A maximum of 3 visitors. No swapping of visitors is allowed during this time period.
• 18:00 – 19:00 A maximum of 3 visitors. No swapping of visitors is allowed during this time period.

Patients’ own children can visit during the one hour slots.

Intensive care unit

Visiting is allowed from 1pm – 6.30pm with a maximum of 2 visitors per bed space at any given time.

Those returning from theatre after 6.30pm are allowed an exceptional visit of 30 minutes with a maximum of 2 visitors and will then return to normal visiting guidelines.

Day Case Unit

Partners or a support person can escort patients to the Day Case Unit (DCU), however facilities are not available to remain for the duration of the treatment. Visitors can remain within the hospital until such time they are contacted to support the patient to go home, refreshment areas are available on level 1.

Patients attending the DCU with Learning Disabilities, Dementia and those with care workers will be allowed 1 designated person to remain within the DCU and with prior consultations with the surgeon/anaesthetists and may be able to escort to theatres.

Accident and Emergency Department

Where capacity in the department allows, all adult patients can be accompanied by one person and Paediatric patients can be accompanied by two parents/carers.

The number of visitors may be restricted or visitors may be asked to wait in other areas during times of extreme pressures and overcrowding.

PLEASE NOTE: as from 1 November 2023 we are asking only one adult to bring a child to the paediatric A&E department: Trust urges: help us, help you by only one adult attending with each child patient

Children’s Unit

Ward 12 surgical unit

One parent/carer can accompany children who are attending for day case surgery or procedures.

Ward 30/32

Open visiting for parents/carers (only one can be resident overnight). There is an intercom system for entry to the ward. We ask that, for the safety and security of patients, you do not allow others onto the ward as you exit and enter. You will need to ask a member of staff to let you off the ward as this is done by swipe card only for safety reasons.

Relatives and friends are very welcome to visit children between the visiting hours 2.00pm to 7.00pm.

Neonatal Unit

Parents of babies on the unit and any siblings under the age of 16 have 24/7 open access visiting. Siblings must be supervised by an appropriate adult at all times.  Neonatal Staff will not be able to supervise siblings.

4 other named adults (documented in the nursing notes at admission) may visit between the hours of 12:00 and 19:00.  We recommend Grandparents being the named visitors but we recognise that not all families are the same therefore some families may wish to name other important people. Names given at admission will not be changed at a later date.

We respectfully request that the 4 named visitors do not all attend the unit at the same time.  Attendance in pairs is acceptable. This is to manage footfall on the unit and in the sitting areas whilst reducing infection control risks to immunocompromised patients.

A maximum of 2 people is permitted at the cot side at any given time.

Wards identified as having Infection Diseases outbreaks

In wards/units which have been identified as having an outbreak, additional protective measures may be required in the form of PPE. For example, in an outbreak of COVID-19 visitors will be asked to wear a mask. If in any doubt please speak to the nurse in charge of the area for any clarity in relation to this or the wearing of the correct protective equipment.