"Visiting"

Good morning, the very difficult decision to restrict visiting was taken just after Christmas in response to the rising number of cases of Covid-19 in the local community and in the hospital in order to protect our vulnerable patients, our staff and visitors. The decision was made with the help of clinical expertise from our Infection prevention and control team and senior clinical colleagues.

We absolutely recognise the importance of visiting to the wellbeing of our patients, this is why this decision was under constant review and we are pleased that we have been able to lift the severe restrictions and are now supporting 'responsible visiting' - please see our website for details.

Some hospitals will have differing approaches to these restrictions depending on the layout and environment of the hospital. Southmead Hospital benefits predominantly single rooms and large open internal spaces enabling social distancing.

If you have family member in our hospital, I do hope you have been able to book a visit but please contact our Family Liaison Team if you need support with this on 01823 344406

Good morning. We did have to limit our visiting again recently for a short period to protect our patients and colleagues. We have re-opening to responsible visiting in most areas now.

Information on this is available on our website but I will paste the narrative below:

Information up-to-date as of Wednesday 26 January 2022.

Following the Government announcement that all ‘plan B’ COVID-19 restrictions will come to an end from tomorrow (Thu 27 Jan), we have been reviewing our visiting guidance in line with the current pressures faced by healthcare services across the county.

While our services remain incredibly busy, we understand that seeing friends, family and carers is vital to the wellbeing and recovery of our patients. With this in mind, we have made the decision to re-open responsible visiting – this means that visiting is now allowed at our hospitals and units again, but in a controlled manner to protect our patients, their families, and our colleagues delivering care.

Please understand that while we aim to re-open visiting slots across most hospitals or units in Somerset, where it isn’t safe to do so, we must keep restrictions in place.

Infection control measures:

When visiting any of our sites, you must continue to:

Wear a face mask (unless exempt). Face masks can be found at stations situated at all the entrances to our buildings Gel your hands when entering and exiting buildings or going between areas Maintain social distancing within the corridors and waiting areas

While the vaccination effort means the risk of serious infection from COVID-19 is much less, it’s important that we do all we can to protect our patients – many of which are extremely clinically vulnerable – and our colleagues.

Visiting friends or loved ones:

Pre-booked visiting is allowed on most inpatient wards at our hospitals and our mental health units, allowing one person at a time (or two if the visitor requires the support of a carer) to book a visiting slot.

To book a visiting appointment, please telephone the ward directly - phone numbers for all wards can be found here. If you can’t get through to a ward, please contact the Family Liaison service (details below). Before calling to book an appointment, please note that:

Visiting slots are strictly limited to one hour during allocated visiting times. Please check individual wards for information Visitors will be asked some screening questions at the time of booking, and will be required to complete a risk assessment upon attending We suggest that you take a free rapid COVID-19 test (lateral flow) before your visit, but this is not mandatory. More information on how to get a test can be found here Visiting for patients who are receiving supportive end of life care, patients with specific needs who would benefit from the presence of a carer, and patients identified as requiring a visit on compassionate grounds, may be permitted additional visitors and longer appointments. Please discuss arrangements with the nurse in charge.

Please note: Booked visiting for admission areas – this includes the Acute Medical Unit (AMU), Surgical Assessment Unit (SAU), and the emergency department (A&E) – may not be possible. Visiting will be limited to exceptional circumstances only on an individual patient basis, based on the need of the patient. Visits can be booked when and if the patient is moved to a permanent ward.

Family Liaison service:

If your loved one is on AMU or SAU and you would like to visit, please contact the Family Liaison service, who will be able to review the request and work with you to support a visit if possible.

If your loved one is on Barrington ward, the Family Liaison service will make sure that you have a regular update.

Please also contact the team if you are having difficulty in receiving updates or information about your loved one on any ward.

The team can be reached on 01823 344406 or 01823 344308, and are available 7 days a week.

Mental health wards:

Pre-booked visits are allowed at most of our mental health units. For this to happen we will always carry out an assessment of each patient’s individual needs to enable the visit. Please speak to a member of staff at the ward.

Maternity, special care baby unit and paediatric wards:

There are special arrangements in place for these areas, to ensure that partners, parents and loved ones can visit.

Specific visiting guidance for our maternity services can be found here.

For children being cared for on a paediatric ward, please speak directly with the ward to make visiting arrangements.

Restrictions where visitors are not allowed:

There are some areas where visitors are not permitted. These include:

Areas where COVID-19 positive patients are receiving care Where patients admitted for planned surgery have shielded for 14 days.

Some visiting may still be allowed by exception in some circumstances, and this can be discussed at the discretion of the nurse in charge.

Visiting in areas that have been exposed to COVID-19:

On some of our wards, there will be groups of patients who have been exposed to other people with COVID-19, who we are monitoring closely to ensure early detection of any symptoms or issues. Visiting is still allowed in these areas, but there are extra cautions in place. You will be made aware of these upon booking a visiting slot.

Please do not visit if you have symptoms of COVID-19 and use alternative methods of keeping in touch with loved ones.

Appointments and drop-ins:

Attending an outpatient appointment

For outpatient appointments, you should come alone as there is limited space due to social distancing. If the nature of your appointment means you do need someone to be with you, please contact the number on your appointment letter. Please arrive as close to your appointment time as possible.

Attending our emergency department (A&E) and minor injuries units

Patients coming to the emergency department (A&E) at Musgrove Park Hospital or one of the seven minor injuries units in Somerset should please come inside the buildings alone where you possibly can. Children can be accompanied by one adult. If there are exceptional circumstances, please speak to the nurse in charge to discuss these.

Virtual appointments

We will continue to run some clinics/appointments as virtual appointments to reduce the number of people needing to attend our sites – we have also received feedback that these have been well received and in many cases are much more convenient for our patients.

Alternative methods of keeping in touch with a patient:

Patient Messaging Service

Our patient messaging service can help you to keep in contact with your loved ones.

If you’d like to send a message to a friend or loved one, please send a text or voicemail to the patient experience team, who will pass on your message (in the form of a handwritten card).

Simply call or text 07525 968409, along with the name of the patient and their location (if known)

Or send your text and/or a photo by email to: myvoice@somersetft.nhs.uk

Please include: relatives’ name, patient name, date of birth, and ward name (if known)

We hope this helps you let your loved ones know you are thinking of them.

We know this is a challenging time and all of us at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust thank you for playing your part in keeping our patients, colleagues and community safe.