Western Trust COVID-19 Visiting Guidance

Last Updated 10.03.23

Visiting Arrangements for Western Trust Hospitals

We have updated our visiting guidance in response to ‘Enabling Safer Visiting’, issued by Department of Health NI.

The Trust is allowing two people to attend during visiting times across most adult wards, maternity wards and mental health inpatient wards.

Individual wards may on occasions recommend that routine visiting arrangements be suspended due to outbreaks and staff will inform patients and their visitors should this occur.

Two people only may attend for each visiting time. In the event of overcrowding of multiple occupancy areas, visitors may be asked to rotate their visiting times to prevent overcrowding.

Visiting 7 days a week between the hours:

3.00pm – 4.00pm
and
7.00pm – 8.30pm

• Exceptional Circumstances
  • There will also continue to be exceptional circumstances in respect of visiting guidance to the cancer services, ICU and visiting patients in end of life care.

  We would encourage you to keep in contact with your loved ones via Virtual Visiting arrangements. You can continue to arrange a ‘virtual visit’ with your relative or friend on a smartphone or tablet. Our hospitals have access to free Wi-Fi and our staff can help set this up. Please be patient as there continues to be significant staffing pressures at present and our staff will have to prioritise clinical work and patient care at this very busy time.

• Zero Tolerance Policy

  For anyone attending any Western Trust hospital or facility, we ask that you continue to work with us and please respect our staff and the guidance they give you at all times. There have been incidents where our staff have received verbal abuse and harassment and we would ask everyone to please refrain from such behaviour and remind everyone that we operate a Zero Tolerance policy towards abuse across our Trust.

• Safety Measures in our Hospitals

  The Trust treats the safety of our patients, staff and everyone attending our facilities with the utmost importance and we are therefore emphasising the social responsibility our visitors have by ensuring they please continue with adherence to infection prevention and control measures in our efforts to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 into high risk and vulnerable settings.

  We ask that:

  • Visitors do not visit, if symptomatic even if they test negative for COVID-19.
  • Visitors wash hands or use the hand sanitiser before and after visiting.
  • Visitors make themselves aware of the risks involved in visiting their loved one, and work with the ward/care staff.
  • Visitors should stay with the person they are visiting throughout the visit, minimising movement around the hospital/care home and maintaining social distancing from other patients/residents and staff to reduce risks of infection spread.
  • Babies and Children do not routinely visit. Exceptions should be discussed with the nurse in charge.
• Self-isolation period recommendation

  Visitors should note that despite the latest government guidance that you no longer need to self-isolate from Day 5, as a precautionary measure, you should avoid contact with people you know to be at higher risk from COVID-19 for 10 days, especially those with a weakened immune system and/or in hospital, to make sure you are no longer infectious.

• Inpatient wards

  Mental Health Inpatient Wards including Mental Health inpatient facilities 

  Two people only may attend for each visiting time. In the event of overcrowding of multiple occupancy areas, visitors may be asked to rotate their visiting times to prevent overcrowding.

  Times: 3.00pm -4.00pm and 7.00pm-8.30pm

  (Wards 3, 21 and 43) at Altnagelvin Hospital and Elective Ward 9 at South West Acute Hospital will now allow one visitor from two nominated visitors to visit for one hour, once per day for post operation patients only. A time slot will need be arranged directly with the Ward.

• Palliative Care Ward, Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex

  Two visitors allowed at each visit.
  Visiting time is 3.00pm – 4.00pm and 7.00pm – 8.30pm daily.

  Exceptional circumstances at end of life when visiting is on a 24/7 basis (two visitors at a time).

• Intensive Care Units

  Two people can attend during visiting times. Please contact the Ward in advance. Visiting will be more flexible in exceptional circumstances.

• Emergency Department

  Emergency Departments continue to experience severe congestion at times due to the number of patients attending and those awaiting beds in the hospital. We will prioritise the presence of a visitor or carer to accompany those with additional needs, other visitors may be asked to limit time in the department so we can ensure adequate distancing and space to treat patients.

• Outpatient Appointments

  We will prioritise the presence of a visitor or carer to accompany those with additional needs, other visitors may be asked to limit time in the department so we can ensure adequate distancing and space to treat patients.

• Radiology Department (Including Breast Screening appointments)

  One person only to be facilitated to accompany each patient where the environment is COVID secure exceptions are in the following circumstances:

  • • Patient is unable to  understand or communicate with staff,
    • Patient requires physical or emotional assistance beyond that which Radiology staff can provide.
    • Patient is a child, so must be accompanied by a parent or chaperone. In these cases one person only to accompany patient.   
  • Foetal Anomaly scanning – Women attending for Anomaly scanning may be accompanied by one nominated person.
  • Any patient developing COVID-19 symptoms prior to their appointment should contact their local Radiology Department for rescheduling advice
  • For all attendances at Radiology a face covering must be worn.
• Cancer/Burns/Renal Units

  Ward 50 (North West Cancer Centre) at Altnagelvin will now allow for two nominated persons to visit for one hour, once a week. To keep our patients and staff safe from infection risks, virtual visiting remains the preferred option, in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread.

• Day Procedure Units

  Where possible the patient attending for the appointment should do so alone, except where they have mobility or other impairment that requires them to be accompanied by one other person.

• Maternity Services

  Visiting in antenatal and postnatal wards (from 20/03/2023)

  • One partner may attend from 1:00PM to 9:00PM and can attend to collect mothers if ready to be discharges prior to 1:00PM.
  • Two people only may attend twice per day during normal visiting hours between 3:00PM – 4:00PM and 7:00PM – 8.30PM. In the event of overcrowding of multiple occupancy areas, visitors may be asked to rotate their visiting times to prevent overcrowding.
  • Babies and Children do not routinely visit. Exceptional circumstances should be discussed with the nurse in charge.

  When you attend

  • You and your birthing partner will be asked screening questions on entering the maternity building
  • You must wear your own face covering at all times while in the maternity building. If for medical reasons you cannot wear a face mask then a visor must be worn.
  • You must sanitise your hands on entering the maternity building and again on admission to
    the individual ward and department

  Scan and antenatal appointments

  • One partner may accompany a woman attending antenatal appointments
  • While you are welcome to bring your partner to all appointments, please be aware that your partner will be asked to wait outside the building until called into your appointment.
  • We would ask you to consider attending antenatal appointments on your own if you can
  • Please arrive no earlier than 15 minutes prior to your allocated appointment time
  • If your antenatal appointment is on same day as your GTT or Anti D your partner may only accompany you to your antenatal appointment and will be phoned to come in to join you
  • We cannot welcome children or other family members at this time to antenatal clinics.

  Labour and Birth

  • A nominated birth partner may accompany a woman for the initial induction process, the duration of the visit will be decided by the midwife in charge.
  • Women in early labour may be supported by one birth partner
  • One nominated birth partner may accompany a woman in labour to delivery suite/MLU and at the birth.

  Please note this guidance will be subject to change and will be updated in line with the Trust and Government guidance.

• Children’s Wards

  Any child admitted to the Children’s Ward can be accompanied by two people (either/both parents or two nominated caregivers from up to two households), at all times for the duration of the stay.  We would however ask that parents or other nominated visitors swap places to enable us to maintain effective social distancing.

• Neonatal Units

  Where social distancing is possible, our Neonatal Units will allow both parents, or two nominated visitors to spend as much time with their baby as they wish. Parents may also visit together. To reduce risk, nominated visitors cannot be swapped or changed, to minimise the number of people with whom the baby has contact. We remain unable to extend visiting to grandparents at present unless in exceptional circumstances.

• Trust Residential Homes

  For Residential Homes please see | Department of Health Visit with Care Pathway

• Community Hospitals and Intermediate Care Facilities

  Two people only may attend for each visiting time. In the event of overcrowding of multiple occupancy areas, visitors may be asked to rotate their visiting times to prevent overcrowding.

  Times: 3.00pm – 4.00pm / 7pm – 8.30pm

• Mental Health/ Older People Mental Health

  Two people only may attend for each visiting time. In the event of overcrowding of multiple occupancy areas, visitors may be asked to rotate their visiting times to prevent overcrowding.

  Times: 1.00pm -2.00pm and 7pm-8.30pm

• Learning Disability

  Visiting arrangements are in line with the patient care schedule. Visiting can be arranged via the Ward Manager.

• Physical Disability

  Visiting arrangements are in line with the patient care schedule. Visiting can be arranged via the Ward Manager.

• Hospital Chaplains

  Where there is particular benefit from the Minister of Faith/Chaplain being present, and particularly given they are members of the multi-disciplinary teams providing pastoral care to patients/residents and are not counted in the maximum of “2 visitors”.  Chaplains will visit a patient once throughout the duration of their stay in hospital (variations to this are subject to individual discussions with the nurse in charge e.g. in an end of life situation) and only visit one patient per visit.  For all other contact, Chaplain’s will use the mobile devices that have been provided to them at individual wards/facilities. Chaplains will continue to adhere to the Trust IP&C and PPE guidance at all times.

• Virtual Visiting

  You can continue to arrange a ‘virtual visit’ with your relative or friend on a smartphone or tablet. Our hospitals have access to free Wi-Fi and our staff can help set this up. Please be patient. Our staff will have to prioritise clinical work and patient care at this very busy time.

• Children Under 16

  Children under 16 are not permitted to visit.