Coronavirus (COVID-19)

In line with national guidance on 23rd June 2020 regarding the easing of previous measures in light of a reduced prevalence of Coronavirus in the UK, we have made further changes to our visiting policy effective from 27th July 2020:

• For adult patients who are receiving end of life care or whose inpatient admission period exceeds 7 days, restricted visiting is permitted. Please contact  the Ward Manager/Nurse in Charge in advance to make suitable arrangements.
• For any adult who has a learning disability or has cognitive impairment restricted visiting is permitted, where possible this should be by appointment and arranged in advance with the Ward Manager/Nurse in Charge.
• Children (aged under 16 years) will only be permitted restricted visiting in adult clinical areas as assessed by a senior clinician and Ward Manager/Nurse in Charge as appropriate for a child to visit and, a visit can be safely accommodated.
• Two named birth partners are permitted to accompany a woman in the Delivery Units/Birth Centre.
• One parent/named family member may be resident with the child on our Children’s wards throughout their admission; if the child’s admission exceeds seven days, one additional named visitor may visit at a pre-arranged time.
• For babies cared for in all areas of the Newborn service, two named visitors (usually the baby’s parents) may visit by appointment. For babies cared for in Neonatal Intensive Care areas, both parents may visit together for the first 24 hours of admission, after which one parent may stay with their baby.
• One named adult visitor per patient is permitted in Maternity Wards.

We recognise the importance to patients of maintaining contact with their family, friends and carers whilst they are in hospital. Where possible, staff will facilitate other means of communicating, such as telephone calls, FaceTime and texting.

Anyone who meets the limited criteria to visit a patient will be directed to wash their hands thoroughly for 20 seconds upon entering the clinical area and we would ask you to do the same on leaving the ward and during your visit if indicated.

Please be reminded that you should not visit the hospital if you have a high temperature or a new continuous cough.

Please do not visit if you feel unwell or have had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case.

Visitors who are vulnerable due to chronic health conditions must also be advised not to visit.

We will continue to review this policy as new national guidance is received.

You must NOT attend an appointment if you or any member of your household are suffering from any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 or are self-isolating. If this applies to you, please contact your GP practice so that you can reschedule your appointment for a different time.

To help prepare hospital for outpatients we have made changes to how we care for our patients and included what you should do onsite below:

Please arrive at the hospital in the same manner as you would normally do so. Entrances to the hospital may be restricted, please follow guidance upon arrival at the hospital. You will see signage and security based around the site that can assist you if you are unsure.

When entering the hospital you will need to wear a face covering. Paper masks will be available and handed out at hospital entrances if you do not have your own.

If you arrive early please wait to enter the hospital until 10 minutes before your appointment. This helps reduce the total number of people in the hospital at any one time to support social distancing measures.

Please attend the appointment on your own, unless you have a carer. Children attending may do so with one parent or guardian.

If driven to hospital by a relative or friend, they will not be allowed to accompany you to your appointment unless they are also your carer.

When in the hospital you may see screens at receptions and fewer seats in waiting room areas, these changes are to support social distancing measures.

Whilst the on-site shops may be open for refreshments, many cafes are still closed. We would recommend bringing your own food and drink if required.

Upon arrival at your appointment we will screen you for COVID-19, which will involve a number of questions around COVID-19 symptoms.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have had contact with an individual with a diagnosis of COVID-19 in the last 7 days, please do not attend the outpatient appointment and instead contact us so that a clinical decision can be made.

Due to the COVID-19 response, our service will have a reduced number of appointments available. If you choose not to attend your appointment, please contact us. It is helpful for us to know why so we can help with any concerns you might have. If you still do not wish to attend, we can offer it to someone else.

Outpatient appointments

• Seats that should not be used have a note on them, allowing us to keep a safe distance between patients.
• Don’t turn up more than 10 minutes before your appointment
• Only people that have an appointment should attend – unless they have specific care needs that require additional support or are a child.
• Please do not lean over or go around the side of plastic screens on reception desks, they are there to protect patients and staff.
• We may have asked you to attend your appointment at a clinic that is not at your usual venue;
• The appointment may take longer than usual.

Hygiene

• Wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
• Use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
• Wash your hands as soon as you get back home
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• Put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards
• Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean

Changes to distancing in Outpatient & ED Waiting Areas

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been making changes to how we deliver services across MFT. Managing patients’ waits within our hospital and community clinics and Emergency Departments is an important part of this work.

Following on from national changes to social distancing, which permit a distance of 1 metre plus with risk mitigation in certain circumstances, patients using waiting rooms in areas such as Outpatients and Emergency Departments can now move to 1 metre plus distancing, providing patients are wearing a face mask. Chairs and seating areas that can be used by patients will need to continue to be clearly marked to maintain this distancing, and patients should still be advised not to bring anyone else with them when they attend the hospital, except in specific circumstances, in line with the current visiting policy.

It is important that services are planned so that patients arrive just in time to their appointments, in order to limit the number of people in waiting areas at any one time and to minimise the length of time patients spend in waiting areas. As stipulated in the MFT Protocol for the use of face masks, all patients, visitors and staff will continue to be required to wear a face mask when on any MFT site, including community locations. Alcohol gel will continue to be available on arrival, and must be used before entering any area.

Protective Equipment

All staff, outpatients and visitors will be required to wear a face mask and sanitise their hands when entering one of our hospitals at MFT.

Masks and sanitiser will be available at the hospital entrance if visitors do not already have them. This is for your safety and the safety of other patients and staff.

The use of face coverings when attending MFT Hospitals

From Monday, 15^th June 2020 all staff, visitors and outpatients will be required to wear a face mask when entering one of our Hospitals across all of our sites at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT).

This includes; Manchester Royal Infirmary, Saint Mary’s Hospital, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Wythenshawe Hospital, Trafford General Hospital, Altrincham Hospital, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, University Dental Hospital of Manchester and North Manchester General Hospital.

Face masks will be provided for patients and visitors at the entrance of our hospitals.

What does this mean for me?

We can all play a role in reducing the spread of coronavirus and keeping our hospitals safe. If you are coming to hospital as a visitor or for planned outpatient care, it is important that you wear a face covering at all times. This is for your safety and the safety of other patients and staff.

If you are currently shielding and have been provided with a surgical face mask for your appointments, please continue to use this. If you have not been provided with a surgical face mask, you should wear your own face mask or a disposable face mask will be provided to you on arrival to the hospital.

For some people, wearing a face covering may be difficult due to physical or mental health conditions. In these instances, other measures will be considered on a case by case basis, for example timed appointments and being seen immediately on arrival.

If you are a deaf or hearing impaired, our staff have a range of communication options to ensure that they can communicate effectively with you. This might include the use of clear masks where possible, as well as visual aids such as writing things down, speech to text apps and sign language.

All visitors to our hospital sites will also be expected to comply with existing social distancing and hand hygiene measures in addition to the face coverings while in the hospital setting.

How to wear a facemask

Wash your hands or use hand sanitiser before putting the mask on and after taking it off. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth at all times and store used re-useable face coverings in a plastic bag until you have an opportunity to wash them.

Do not touch the front of the face mask, or the part of the face covering that has been in contact with your mouth and nose.

When wearing a face mask ensure that it covers your nose and mouth at all times and is not allowed to dangle around your neck as this can be a source of cross infection.

The face mask should continue to be worn by a patient or visitor until it can be removed and discarded into the waste bin provided at the exit of the building.

10.04.20

Restricted Access to Manchester Royal Infirmary

As part of our response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are implementing the following changes to our entrances and exits at all of our hospitals on Oxford Road Campus, including Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI).

Please see below for further guidance.

Access to MRI

• The Emergency Departments will continue to allow access for the entry and exit of patients.

 24 hours access to MRI

• Access to the MRI will be via the single access point which is Saint Mary’s Hospital
• Main site entrance on the boulevard for adult patients and visitors

Restricted Access to Manchester Royal Eye Hospital

As part of our response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are implementing the following changes to our entrances and exits at all of our hospitals on Oxford Road Campus, including Manchester Royal Eye Hospital (MREH).

Please see below for further guidance. Security will be present to facilitate the flow of patients and visitors attending the hospital with support from the Family Liaison Hub.

If you are a patient attending a planned appointment please bring your letter with you.

Access to MREH restricted to 08:00 – 20:00

• Access via the main MREH Hospital Entrance for planned appointments and for the MREH Emergency Department
• Patients’ entrance for pharmacy collections from pick up points in MREH – only one adult to attend for collection unless support needed due to mobility issues

Restricted Access to Saint Mary’s Hospital

As part of our response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are implementing the following changes to our entrances and exits at all of our hospitals on Oxford Road Campus, including Saint Mary’s Hospital.

Please see below for further guidance. Security will be present to facilitate the flow of patients and visitors attending the hospital with support from the Family Liaison Hub.

If you are a patient attending a planned appointment please bring your letter with you.

24 hours access to SMH

• Main site entrance on the boulevard for adult patients and visitors (including Emergency Gynaecology)
• Patient entrance for pharmacy collections from pick up points in RMCH – only one adult to attend for collection unless support needed due to mobility issues

Restricted Access to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital

As part of our response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are implementing the following changes to our entrances and exits at all of our hospitals on Oxford Road Campus, including Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

Security will be present to facilitate the entry for parents with children attending for surgery or appointments with support from the Family Liaison Hub.

Access to RMCH restricted to 07:00 – 20:00

• Main entrance for children who are patients only (with accompanying parents)

Restricted Access to Wythenshawe Hospital

As part of our response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are implementing the following changes to our entrances and exits at all of our hospitals within MFT, including Wythenshawe Hospital.

Security will be present to facilitate the flow of patients and visitors attending the hospital with support from the Family Liaison hub.

The following entry and exit points are accessible with Security assistance;

• Entrance 3
• Entrance 5
• Entrance 6
• Entrance 8
• Entrance 13
• Entrance 15
• Emergency Department

Restricted Access to Trafford General Hospital

As part of our response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are implementing the following changes to our entrances and exits at all of our hospitals within MFT, including Trafford General Hospital (TGH).

Access restrictions at TGH

• ALL access control entry and exit points will be operational 24hours per day
• The Urgent Care Centre (Entrance 10) accessible to staff, patients and visitors between 07:00 – 19:00.

7.04.20

As part of our response to the unprecedented COVID-19 situation, please note that from Tuesday 7th April 2020, we are temporarily relocating all services for paediatric emergencies to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, so Wythenshawe Hospital’s Emergency Department will not accept paediatric emergencies. All ambulances will now divert to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Paediatric Emergency Department. This is to support the increased need for critical care at Wythenshawe Hospital during this time.

In the event of an emergency, parents, guardians and carers must now take children to the Paediatric Emergency Department, Oxford Road, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WL.  It is extremely important that children are not taken to the Wythenshawe Hospital Emergency Department.

We will update you further when the paediatric emergency services and Starlight Children’s Unit at Wythenshawe Hospital are re-opened.

Thank you in advance for your support to the NHS and the wider community at this particular time.

At Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) we have been working hard to reduce the risk of spreading Coronavirus (COVID-19) by introducing new processes and protocols to ensure the safety of our patients, visitors and staff at all of our hospitals and community locations.

Please be assured that our hospitals are safe and there are a number of strict infection prevention measures in place to protect you and our staff.

Attending a planned inpatient procedure

If you are attending MFT for a planned inpatient procedure, it is no longer a routine requirement to self-isolate for 14 days. This is in line with national guidance for all, including those extremely vulnerable to COVID-19.

Ahead of your appointment, you will have been in contact with your consultant, doctor or GP who will have talked you through the following recommended guidance for planned procedures:

• Follow comprehensive social distancing and hand hygiene measures for 14 days before your planned procedure (click here for government advice on social distancing).
• Three days before your planned procedure, you will have a COVID-19 test to ensure you are not positive for the virus.
• You will need to self-isolate from the day you have your COVID-19 test until your admission into hospital.

However, we do understand that each patient’s circumstances are different and in some cases you may be advised to self-isolate for 14 days prior to your procedure. You can also opt-in to do this yourself based on your individual circumstances if you wish to do so.

Those who do self-isolate for 14 days will still be required to have a COVID-19 test three days before their planned procedure at MFT.

Attending an outpatient appointment

If you are attending MFT for an outpatient appointment, such as for an x-ray or diagnostic test, there is no requirement for you to self-isolate ahead of your appointment. However, please follow comprehensive social distancing and hand hygiene measures for 14 days prior to your appointment.

Please do not visit the hospital if you have a high temperature, a new continuous cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.

Please do not visit if you feel unwell or have had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case.

Please be reminded to follow good hand hygiene measures, adhere to social distancing guidance and wear a face mask to reduce the spread of the virus.

Thank you for helping us to reduce the spread of Coronavirus.