Coronavirus guidance

Coronavirus guidance for visitors – updated 7 October

The Trust’s visiting restrictions have been updated to the following:

Before you visit:

• Consider if you need to come: We are trying to limit the amount of visitors coming to site and we can support you to undertake virtual visiting. Consider if you need to be here.
• You must not be symptomatic of Covid-19: Please do not visit our hospitals if you are symptomatic of Covid-19, you live in a household with someone who is, or you or your household have been told to isolate.
• Single named visitor – Please note, unless you have specific access requirements, any one arriving within a group will be asked to leave. We are asking for one named visitor who can visit once per day. This person will not be interchangeable each day.
• Handwashing: When visiting someone in hospital, please clean your hands using soap and water. Sinks are available at all entrances to our hospitals and most wards, to enable you to do this. Where there is not a sink, you should be able to use alcohol hand rub instead.
• Illnesses: If you have a cough, cold, diarrhoea, vomiting or a temperature, you could have an infection and may risk passing this on to our patients. Please do not visit the hospital if you have these symptoms.
• Face covering: All visitors to the Trust must wear an appropriate face covering – if you cannot, we may ask you to leave.

Entering the hospital:

• If applicable to the area you are in, you may be asked to sign-in using the NHS Covid-19 app by scanning a QR code. This is only for specific areas – see list here.
• If coming to a ward, we will take your temperature. If it is 37.8c or greater, unfortunately we will ask you to leave.

Patients on Covid-19 Wards:

For wards which may have a number of patients who are Covid-19 positive, (these are also known as Yellow Wards), increased precautions should be undertaken if patients are having aerosol generating procedures (this includes things such as intubation).

As a phased approach, and taking into account the need for compassionate visiting, a maximum of 15 minutes per patient for a designated family member will be allowed, with the permission of the Registered Nurse or Consultant in charge. This will be by appointment and after the visitor has confirmed they have read the visitor information and are safe to visit.

Further guidance on what to expect when visiting a patient who is Covid-19 positive can be found here.

Please note, visitors must not be symptomatic of Covid-19, or part of a household which has been told to isolate. You must also wear a mask for the duration of your visit without exception.

Patients on Non-Covid-19 Wards:

Patients in areas with no, or few, cases of Covid-19 (known as Blue Wards) can have one named visitor, by appointment and with agreement of the Registered Nurse or Consultant in charge, for up to an hour a day. Visitors will be asked to confirm they have read the visitor information and are safe to visit.

Please note, visitors must not be symptomatic of Covid-19, or part of a household which has been told to isolate. You must also wear a mask for the duration of your visit without exception.

Patients having elective surgery:

Patients having planned elective surgery will have to self-isolate prior to surgery. This is to reduce the risk of acquiring Covid-19 during the peri-operative period. Visitors are asked to use electronic means of keeping in touch until the patient is discharged home. Full guidance can be found here.

Patients on Critical Care (Intensive Treatment Unit and Department of Critical Care):

Patients on Critical Care are allowed visitors at the discretion of the Registered Nurse or Consultant in charge.

Please note, visitors must not be symptomatic of Covid-19, or part of a household which has been told to isolate. You must also wear a mask for the duration of your visit without exception.

Patients on our Acute Medical Unit (AMU) and Assessment and Treatment Centre (ATC):

As patients are often moved to and from these areas as per the requirements of their care, we cannot support visitors by appointment other than those with learning disabilities, living dementia, or receiving end of life care.

In exceptional circumstances which do not meet the above, we ask that individuals contact the service and permission is at the Nurse-in-charge’s discretion.

Please note, visitors must not be symptomatic of Covid-19, or part of a household which has been told to isolate. You must also wear a mask for the duration of your visit without exception.

Patients attending the Emergency Department:

One named person may accompany, only in urgent circumstances.

Patients at End of Life:

Patients who are end of life will be allowed open visiting. This means that one or a maximum of two named visitors can stay with the patient and/or visit at any time that is suitable and convenient to them. This can be different family members. Please note, unless the patient is in a single room, named visitors are not interchangeable.

Please note, visitors must not be symptomatic of Covid-19, or part of a household which has been told to isolate. You must also wear a mask for the duration of your visit without exception.

Patients with a Learning Disability/Dementia and Delirium:

For carers of people who have difficulty communicating their needs and those who require a person with them, they can have a ‘partner in care’ who is not classed as a visitor. Each patient will be assessed individually and visiting discussed with immediate family.

Please note, visitors must not be symptomatic of Covid-19, or part of a household which has been told to isolate. You must also wear a mask for the duration of your visit without exception.

Maternity Services:

• Antenatal ward – Women admitted for an antenatal stay or to commence the Induction of labour process, birth partners can have a pre-arranged two hour visiting slot daily.
• Postnatal ward – Mothers and babies who need to be transferred for ongoing care or after Caesarean Section, birth partner can stay on the Postnatal ward for two hours after transfer from CDS or theatre OR can go home and revisit on a pre-arranged 2 hour visiting slot daily.​
• Please note, all visiting slots must be pre-arranged with ward staff.
• No more than two visitors in a four bedded bay at any one time.
• All visitors must wear a mask, have their temperature checked and Covid questionnaire completed prior to entry to the wards or CDS.
• Visitors are requested to remain in the woman’s bed space at all times.
• Please note there is no visiting on day of discharge.​

Antenatal Services:

Please note, we are asking mothers to come alone to their antenatal appointments. An exception to this is that we are currently allowing partners to accompany for 18 to 21 week anomaly scans. We are reviewing these restrictions regularly and will communicate any further easing of these guidelines.

For further information and guidance, please follow our Doncaster and Bassetlaw Maternity Services Facebook page here.

Please note, visitors must not be symptomatic of Covid-19, or part of a household which has been told to isolate. You must also wear a mask for the duration of your visit without exception.

Children’s services:

In terms of children’s wards (including Observation Unit), both parents are allowed to visit, although this will be monitored and may be subject to change within bay area’s dependent on activity. The Nursing team will inform you if additional short term restrictions are required. Currently siblings are restricted and unable to visit, we acknowledge that this may give some parents difficulties if they do not have alternative child care. In these circumstances, then parents will need to visit separately at different times.

Neonatal services:

The primary and secondary carer for the neonate are able to visit as long as they take it in turns, it is not possible for parents to be in the nursery at the same time. The visitors will need to confirm they have read the visitor information and are safe to visit.

Please note, visitors must not be symptomatic of Covid-19, or part of a household which has been told to isolate. You must also wear a mask for the duration of your visit without exception.

Outpatients:

In order to comply with social distancing guidance, wherever possible we are asking outpatient appointments be attended alone, with some exemptions.

If there are mitigating circumstances – such as access issues, appointments that effect your sight or mobility, or other factors you may – you may be exempt from this rule. If you’re unsure, call ahead of your appointment to check.

Virtual visiting: 

As a Trust, we have introduced ‘Virtual visiting’ using a simple video conference app called Starleaf, which is very similar to Facetime or Skype. It is easy to use, it is secure and it is free.

You just need to have access to a either a smart phone, iPad, tablet or PC (with sound and camera).

If you are interested in using virtual visiting, please contact the appropriate ward where your relative is and the staff there will try and arrange this for you.

The ward will need your email address and a time to schedule the virtual visit. Alternatively, you can email dbth.butterflyvolunteer@nhs.net, who will support you with this.

---

We aim to make your visit to hospital as easy as possible. In this section you will find details of how to find and get around our various hospital sites, patient information and leaflets and other useful items.

Our staff are more than happy to help, so if you do have any questions regarding your visit that we haven’t answered, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you would like information regarding a ward or department, you can find out more on our services page.  All hospitals are required to publish information about the actual and planned staffing levels on all our nursing and midwifery wards on a shift by shift basis, to view our most recent report please click here.

---