Coronavirus (COVID-19)

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

Distancing

• Stay to the left when using corridors
• Maintain a safe distance of at least 2 metres
• Avoid using lifts unless absolutely necessary
• Keep to the left on the stairs

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.

Changes to our Visiting Policy: In line with the national requirements for people to stay at home, we have made significant changes to our visiting policy in order to minimise the risk of transmission of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

As of Wednesday 25th March 2020:

• No visitors will be permitted to any adult wards, other than in defined exceptional circumstances. The needs of patients receiving end of life care and patients living with learning disability, autism or dementia will be reviewed on an individual basis, and where appropriate one named visitor will be permitted at any one time.
• No children who are not patients are permitted to visit any Trust premises 
• One birth partner is permitted to accompany a woman in the Delivery Units and the Birth Centre 
• One named visitor per patient is permitted in Children’s Wards, Maternity Wards and Neonatal Units at any one time.

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.

A new, temporary Family Liaison Team has been established to support patients and families to maintain contact during this time.

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.

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 7^th 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.

If you have received a letter advising you that your appointment(s) has been cancelled then you must not attend

If you have not received a letter then you SHOULD attend your planned appointment at the hospital unless you have received a telephone call from the hospital indicating that you now have a telephone appointment.

We have taken these steps because the NHS needs to divert staff and resources away from routine activity to support an increased need for critical care.

If you did have an appointment scheduled please be assured that your case will be reviewed by our clinical teams to identify the most appropriate next steps for you. We will then contact you again to let you know what will happen next. This may take some time depending on how the national situation develops.

If you have concerns about medications that you normally collect from the Hospital Pharmacy, we are making plans to ensure you receive your medication. This may not be through the Hospital Pharmacy and we are looking at alternative arrangements, for example with local pharmacists. If this affects you we will be in touch to confirm the arrangements.

You should now await further communication from the Hospital, please do not contact us as we will be in contact with you in due course either via letter or telephone.

We do understand that this may be difficult for you and we appreciate your patience in light of this unprecedented situation.

We are sorry for any inconvenience and anxiety the cancellation of your appointment may cause. Thank you for your support to the NHS and the wider community at this time.