Wards and visiting times

Updated MFT Covid-19 Interim Visiting Policy – Friday 16^th April 2021

The Trust implemented an Interim Visiting Policy in March 2020 in order to minimise the risk of transmission of Covid-19 by reducing the footfall in our hospital and community inpatient areas. Further updates have been made to this policy over the past year in line with national and local guidance and local levels of Covid-19 infection.

We recognise that maintaining contact with friends and family during a hospital admission is important to our patients and their loved ones, and so following the national easing of lockdown restrictions we have now updated our interim visiting policy again, effective from 16^th April 2021.

MFT’s updated visiting restrictions will continue to differ depending upon the level of risk associated with a patient’s pathway as set out by NHS guidance – low, medium or high. These restrictions will also differ depending on the type of ward or unit, and whether a patient has been identified as having a specific need.

Key principles and updates to the policy are set out below:

• Visitors are required to comply with safety measures, including wearing a surgical face mask, distancing, handwashing and donning the appropriate PPE as identified by the clinical staff responsible for the patient’s care.
• For low risk adult inpatient beds, one named visitor from the patient’s household or support bubble is permitted if the risk assessment indicates that this can be achieved safely (i.e. low risk) and the patient wishes to receive a visitor.
• Any visiting is either by appointment or at the ward’s specified visiting times in order to minimise the number of visitors in a clinical area at any one time.
• Adult patients who are receiving treatment in a critical care bed may have one named visitor from the patient’s household or support bubble on a weekly basis, arranged in advance with the care team.
• Where a patient has been identified to have specific needs, such as patients receiving end of life care or people living with a learning disability and/or autism, the number of visitors permitted and the length of time they may stay will be influenced by the assessed level of risk and the capacity of the environment to enable appropriate distancing measures.
• Essential visitors who support a patient with a specific need are additional to the named visitor, providing this can be safely facilitated.
• Movement of visitors around the Trust’s premises should be minimised – please go directly to the ward when you arrive and leave the hospital as soon as your visit ends.
• For children receiving care in low risk beds, two parents/named family members who live in the same household/support bubble may visit, of which one may be resident.
• For Neonatal Units, two named visitors (usually the baby’s parents) may visit at an agreed time and providing this is deemed appropriate following assessment by the responsible senior nurse and clinician, and can be safely accommodated. One parent may stay with their baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
• Adult patients attending outpatient appointments should attend alone where possible. Patients who need to be accompanied may bring one person to their appointment.
• We aim to continue to apply the temporary restrictions with compassion.

For maternity services based at Saint Mary’s Hospital Oxford Road, Saint Mary’s based at Wythenshawe Hospital and Maternity services based at North Manchester General Hospital:

• All women can be accompanied by one named person (adult) throughout their antenatal care
• One named person may accompany a woman for all pregnancy ultrasounds scans.
• One essential visitor and one named birth partner are permitted for all women attending delivery units or birth centres.
• One essential visitor and one named visitor are permitted in maternity wards where the risk is low or medium and one essential visitor if the level of risk is assessed as high.

In order to protect our patients and staff, visitors who refuse to comply with Infection Control requirements will be asked to leave the Trust’s premises.

Visitors are advised not to visit any Trust premises if they are unwell; have a high temperature; a new continuous cough; a loss of or change to their sense of smell; or have had contact with a confirmed or suspected Covid-19 case. Visitors who have had Covid-19 infection must have been free of symptoms for 14 days before they are permitted to visit. Visitors who are vulnerable as a result of their medication, chronic illness, or are over the age of 70 are advised not to visit if possible.

In order to support families to maintain contact during a patient’s admission, processes have been put in place in our inpatient areas to support and encourage patients to access virtual visiting and alternative means of communicating with family and friends if they are able to do so.

In areas where visiting is restricted, our clinical staff are expected to maintain daily contact with an identified family member, as agreed by the patient or identified through a best interest process if the patient is not able to do so. The frequency of contact may be reduced if this is agreed by the patient and family.

We will continue to review the policy as new national guidance is received and in accordance with the local prevalence of Covid-19.

Thank you for your continued understanding and co-operation with these arrangements to help keep patients, staff and visitors safe.

For information on virtual visiting, please click here.