Thursday
19
June
New hospital visiting guidelines set out
23/04/2020 @ 09:51
People with mental health, learning disabilities and dementia will be allowed to have someone visit them at hospitals in the area under new guidance issued by the Powys Teaching Health Board.
The Coronavirus had meant visits to Newtown and Llanidloes hospitals, among others in the county, were restricted to patients.
But the health board said, at the direction of individual wards, those who might need someone with them for their wellbeing would be permitted to have
Powys Teaching Health Board Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery Alison Davies said: “We recognise that patients gain enormous value for their wellbeing and recovery from visits, but during these unprecedented times we need to take vital steps to protect our patients, visitors and staff.
“Last month following the announcement of new lockdown measures across the UK we put in place restrictions on visiting. We keep these arrangements under ongoing review and have extended essential visiting to more patients.”
Visits continue to be permitted for a single birth partner in Powys birth centres or for a home birth, and also at the discretion of the ward sister to provide support for patients at the end of life.
From this week, wards also have discretion to permit visits to provide additional support for people with mental health issues such as dementia, with a learning disability, or with autism where not being present would cause distress."
She added: “Please do not visit if you or someone in your household has symptoms of COVID-19. The main symptoms are a new continuous cough and/or a high temperature. Guidance on self-isolation for people with symptoms is available from the Public Health Wales website at https://phw.nhs.wales/coronavirus” added Alison.
“It is also vital that everyone follows the advice to Stay Home. Only go outside for food, health reasons (including essential hospital visiting) or work (if you cannot do this from home).
"Stay two metres away from other people. Wash your hands as soon as you get home. We know that staying at home can be hard, especially when the weather is NHS, but it will reduce the spread of infection, protect the NHS and save lives”.
“I would like to thank everyone in the county for their patience and support during these challenging times.”
Community hospital teams across the county have been working hard to put in place additional ways to contact loved ones.
Free WiFi is available in most areas so that patients can use their own mobile phones or tablets, and teams are also putting in place additional support for those patients who may not have devices of their own.
The Coronavirus had meant visits to Newtown and Llanidloes hospitals, among others in the county, were restricted to patients.
But the health board said, at the direction of individual wards, those who might need someone with them for their wellbeing would be permitted to have Powys Teaching Health Board Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery Alison Davies said: “We recognise that patients gain enormous value for their wellbeing and recovery from visits, but during these unprecedented times we need to take vital steps to protect our patients, visitors and staff.
“Last month following the announcement of new lockdown measures across the UK we put in place restrictions on visiting. We keep these arrangements under ongoing review and have extended essential visiting to more patients.”
Visits continue to be permitted for a single birth partner in Powys birth centres or for a home birth, and also at the discretion of the ward sister to provide support for patients at the end of life.
From this week, wards also have discretion to permit visits to provide additional support for people with mental health issues such as dementia, with a learning disability, or with autism where not being present would cause distress."
She added: “Please do not visit if you or someone in your household has symptoms of COVID-19. The main symptoms are a new continuous cough and/or a high temperature. Guidance on self-isolation for people with symptoms is available from the Public Health Wales website at https://phw.nhs.wales/coronavirus” added Alison.
“It is also vital that everyone follows the advice to Stay Home. Only go outside for food, health reasons (including essential hospital visiting) or work (if you cannot do this from home).
"Stay two metres away from other people. Wash your hands as soon as you get home. We know that staying at home can be hard, especially when the weather is NHS, but it will reduce the spread of infection, protect the NHS and save lives”.
“I would like to thank everyone in the county for their patience and support during these challenging times.”
Community hospital teams across the county have been working hard to put in place additional ways to contact loved ones.
Free WiFi is available in most areas so that patients can use their own mobile phones or tablets, and teams are also putting in place additional support for those patients who may not have devices of their own.
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