Hospital visiting and Covid-19
We continue to manage hospital visiting to protect patients, staff and the community from Covid-19 infection.
The Trust regularly reviews this decision, ensuring we are in line with both regional and national guidance.
Visiting times are at the discretion of the individual ward to ensure social distancing is maintained between staff, patients and visitors.
Wards and/or individuals bays may be closed without notice for infection prevention and control reason e.g. norovirus.
Who can visit?
- All adult inpatients may receive one visitor for one hour each day
- One parent, or legal guardian, visitor at any one time for young people aged 16-17
- Two people may visit at any one time for patients at end of life
- One visitor at a time for patients with dementia, a learning disability, autism or other similar complex condition where not having a familiar face present would cause them distress
Your visit must be booked in advance with the ward and should be based on the needs and wishes of the patient. Different people may visit on different days. Ward telephone numbers for Ormskirk here and Southport here.
Separate arrangements are in place for visits to children’s ward, maternity and neonatal at Ormskirk hospital and North West Regional Spinal Injuries Centre at Southport hospital. Please ask for advice from the local staff in each case.
Requests to visit outside this guidance should be discussed with the nurse or matron in charge. Individual visiting plans can be supported in exceptional circumstances.
What precautions must visitors take?
- You must wear a face-covering during your visit unless you have a documented medical exemption. You must also wear gloves and a disposable apron when visiting an inpatient. These are provided by the Trust
- All visitors are encouraged to take a same-day lateral flow test, regardless of vaccination status. No one should visit if the result is positive
- On arrival at hospital, visitors’ temperatures will be checked and they will be asked about possible Covid symptoms. Anyone with a raised temperature or Covid symptoms will not be able to visit
Please do not visit if:
- You are Covid-19 positive or have any Covid-19 symptoms including:
- Fever / high temperature 37.8C or above
- New continuous cough
- Loss / change of sense of taste or smell
- You are isolating as a contact of someone who is Covid-19 positive
- You have been contacted by NHS Test and Trace to say you are a contact of a Covid-19 positive person
- You are shielding due to anticipated surgery
- There are any local or national lockdown restrictions in place in your postcode that would not support you visiting
- You have returned from a country with quarantine restrictions imposed by the British government
What alternatives are there to contacting someone in hospital?
Letters to Love Ones is a service that can be used by friends and relatives to send letters and pictures to patients. Please sent by email to soh-tr.lettertolovedones@nhs.net. Each email must havea patient name and date of birth along with the name of the person sending the correspondence.
Video calls. We can facilitate pre-arranged video calls calls using an iPad by contacting a member of staff on the appropriate ward. If your loved one has their own device and can accept video or telephone calls independently, then we encourage you to keep in touch this way also
Our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) service offers support, information and assistance to patients, relatives and visitors. The team can also provide help and advice if you have a concern or complaint that staff have not been able to resolve for you. Email soh-tr.pals@nhs.net
How should I protect myself and the patient I am visiting?
- Please follow the guidance for hand hygiene and wearing a face mask on entering the Trust/clinical area/department
- Please apply disposable gloves, disposable apron on entering the area you are visiting and this should be removed under supervision at the end of your visit
- Hand hygiene must be performed on exiting ward area and please continue to wear a face mask until exiting the hospital
- Please perform hand hygiene after removal of face mask directly at exit
- Strict adherence to 2-metres social distancing rules must be followed at all times
Page updated 28/3/22
