Visitor guidance
The health, safety and wellbeing of our patients, communities and staff remain our overall priority. We will keep visiting arrangements under regular review to support this.
Emergency Department (ED) and Urgent Treatment Centres
One relative or friend can accompany each patient.
Adult inpatient wards (except for elective orthopaedics)
Visiting is between the hours of 10am and 8pm.
Please help us keep everyone as safe as possible:
- If you can, please book before visiting by contacting the ward.
- Protected mealtimes are in place on all wards. This is so patients have a dedicated mealtime, free from interruptions. Relatives helping with feeding can be an exception. Please arrange this with the ward manager/nurse in charge.
- Only two visitors can be at a bedside at any one time. Exceptions are at the discretion of the ward manager / nurse in charge. This would include patients having end-of-life care. Another example is patients with carers who help them with everyday activities. All visiting requirements are considered on a case-by-case basis.
- Each ward has a maximum number of visiting slots available each hour. This is in line with safe hospital ventilation standards.
If you would like children under 10 to visit, please talk to the ward manager / nurse in charge.
Our staff may refuse entry to visitors or manage visitor numbers. This could happen if an area becomes overcrowded. Wards may introduce specific and enhanced infection prevention measures.
Visiting people with mental health conditions, dementia and/or delirium, learning disabilities and/or autism
We will continue to make reasonable adjustments, so people can stay in touch with their loved ones.
Elective orthopaedics
Special visiting arrangements are in place for elective orthopaedic wards. Please discuss with the admitting team.
Maternity
Birthing partners are welcome to leave and return without restriction. This applies to the birthing centre, ward 16, and Pregnancy Assessment Unit.
Other family and friends need to book visits in advance by calling
Paediatrics
Parents/legal guardians can visit throughout the day on the Children’s Unit. One parent/carer can stay overnight.
Siblings and grandparents can visit during the day between 8am and 10pm.
Guidance for all visitors
Wash or gel your hands when entering and leaving our hospitals. Do the same when entering and leaving wards, bays or side rooms.
Please do not visit if you have been unwell or have signs of a cough or cold. Wait for 48 hours after diarrhoea and vomiting symptoms before visiting. If you are unsure, please contact us to see if it is safe for you to visit.
Please do not bring in food for patients. If not possible, staff will advise on how to store and dispose of food.
You may need to leave a bedside or ward if staff ask you to. We would ask that you are respectful of other patients during your visit.
To help prevent infections, please do not sit on the bed during visits. Please do not touch equipment.
We welcome service dogs that support a visitor to attend.
Car parking is available at all hospitals.
For more information please look at the page of the hospital you’re visiting.
We do ask that visitors don’t bring flowers into the hospitals. Although flowers look lovely they do collect dust and can harbour germs in the water and soil.
Please help us keep the wards as clean as possible.
All of our sites are now completely smokefree. This means that smoking is not permitted on any of our sites including all buildings, grounds and vehicles. E-cigarettes are permitted on our grounds but not inside of our buildings. For the comfort of others we ask that you please use e-cigarettes away from our main entrances. For more information please click here.