Changes to Harrogate District Hospital visiting rules as lockdown comes into force

Harrogate District Hospital 'well prepared' as country enters second Covid lockdown

Visiting will be restricted to patients at the end of life, patients with a learning disability, patients with dementia and long-stay patients.

Visitors to these groups of patients will be required to wear a face mask and sanitise their hands on entry to the hospital, and will be provided with appropriate further PPE at the ward.

A spokesperson said: “We’ve reluctantly taken this decision because we know how important visitors are for patients, and how much being able to visit their loved one in hospitals means for families.

“However, we have to play our part in reducing contacts and minimising potential spread of Covid-19. We hope people understand why we’re doing this.”

Changes are also being made for patients on the maternity ward.

For antenatal and postnatal admissions, only one person is permitted to visit.

A visiting slot between either 10-12pm or 2-4pm will be allocated in the morning by the midwife in charge.

Anyone set to be discharged will not be allocated a visiting slot on that day.

A partner can attend with anyone attending for an induction of labour, but no children will be permitted to visit the ward.

Chief Executive of the Trust, Steve Russell, said: “We really want to encourage people to continue attending their appointments and coming to the hospital whenever it is necessary for their health, but we would urge people to come alone wherever possible as it is imperative to limit footfall at this stage.

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“We know and appreciate the importance of visitors but our priority right now has got to be minimising the risk of transmission and protecting the health and safety of our staff, patients and members of the public.”