New visiting arrangements at Medway
Date: 14 August 2020
New visiting arrangements at Medway Maritime Hospital
For the safety of our patients and staff, and following national guidance, we suspended patient visiting at Medway on Thursday 26 March.
Protecting our patients and those who care for them is our top priority at all times, and we are pleased to say that following the implementation of new processes and policies in addition to the social distancing and infection control measures already in place, we are reinstating patient visiting on some wards, with conditions, from Monday 17 August.
To ensure the smooth and safe transition of visitors back to site, we have introduced the following guidelines for visitors:
- One visitor (close family member or loved one) per patient will be allowed. Please note that this must be the same visitor for the duration of the patient's admission. Two visitors from the same household or bubble may be allowed in exceptional circumstances, such as patients receiving end of life care or where the visitor needs assistance. This must be arranged with the nurse in charge of the ward in advance by telephone.
- All visitors must be symptom free and not under any self-isolation conditions.
- Social distancing stewards will be at the main entrance to greet and verify visitors.
- Visitors will have their temperature checked on arrival and contact details taken for track and trace purposes.
- Visitors must wear masks during their visit and practice good hand hygiene at all times.
- Visiting times will be for one hour only, with staggered sessions for each ward (see below for ward details).
- Bed curtains will be drawn around beds in bays to maintain a physical distance between visitors.
Unfortunately we cannot allow visiting on wards where vulnerable patients are being cared for. On these wards, we will continue our process of enabling patients and family members to keep in touch via email, phone and video calling where appropriate.
Please see below for the visiting arrangements for each ward. Only one visitor (close family or loved one) is permitted at specified times, unless otherwise stated below.
Ward |
Visiting Details |
Arethusa
|
Due to the vulnerability of the patients, no visiting is permitted except in compassionate circumstances. The Trust has a dedicated email address for people to email their loved ones in hospital if they’re unable to visit. Please ask family members to send a message with their loved one's name and ward to medwayft.patientexperience@nhs.net and a member of the Patient Experience team will deliver the message to them. |
Bronte |
2pm - 3pm |
Byron ward |
3pm - 4pm |
Coronary Care Unit (CCU) |
2pm - 3pm |
Critical Care |
Due to the vulnerability of the patients, no visiting is permitted, except in compassionate circumstances. Please speak to the nurse in charge. On these wards, we will continue our process of enabling patients and family members to keep in touch via email, phone and video calling where appropriate. |
Galton Day Unit (GDU) |
Due to the vulnerability of the patients, no visiting is permitted.
|
Harvey |
Due to the vulnerability of the patients, no visiting is permitted except in compassionate circumstances. The Trust has a dedicated email address for people to email their loved ones in hospital if they’re unable to visit. Family members may send a message with their loved one's name and ward to medwayft.patientexperience@nhs.net and a member of the Patient Experience team will deliver the message to them. |
Keats |
2pm - 3pm |
Kingfisher |
4pm - 5pm |
Lawrence
|
Due to the vulnerability of the patients, no visiting is permitted, except in compassionate circumstances. The Trust has a dedicated email address for people to email their loved ones in hospital if they’re unable to visit. Please ask family members to send a message with their loved one's name and ward to medwayft.patientexperience@nhs.net and a member of the Patient Experience team will deliver the message to them. |
Lister |
2pm – 3pm For inpatients only. The ward is not able to support visiting for patients in the assessment unit within the ward. |
Maternity Departments |
One birth partner may stay for the duration of labour once admitted into a birthing room. Visiting is 9am to 7pm for women admitted for induction of labour/early labour care Antenatal ward visiting (excluding above) 2-7pm Postnatal ward visiting – same named birth partner between 2-7pm No partners are able to stay overnight. No children are permitted in the maternity department. Restrictions remain for scan and antenatal appointments. Women must attend these appointments unaccompanied. |
McCulloch |
Due to the vulnerability of the patients, no visiting is permitted, except in compassionate circumstances. The Trust has a dedicated email address for people to email their loved ones in hospital if they’re unable to visit. Please ask family members to send a message with their loved one's name and ward to medwayft.patientexperience@nhs.net and a member of the Patient Experience team will deliver the message to them. |
Milton |
3pm - 4pm |
Nelson |
2pm - 3pm |
Oliver Fisher Neonatal unit (NICU) |
Both parents will be permitted to visit any time. No siblings will be permitted to visit. |
Outpatients |
Due to social distancing in the waiting areas of outpatients it is not possible to allow outpatients to have an accompanying person. Only those requiring assistance, and children, may bring an accompanying person. |
Paediatric wards (Dolphin, Penguin and Seahorse) |
One parent/carer to be with the child, as agreed by nurse in charge. |
Pembroke |
3pm - 4pm |
Phoenix |
4pm – 5pm Non-COVID patients cared for in bays one visitor (close family or loved one). No visiting is permitted for COVID patients cared for in side rooms. The Trust has a dedicated email address for people to email their loved ones in hospital if they’re unable to visit. The Trust has a dedicated email address for people to email their loved ones in hospital if they’re unable to visit. Please ask family members to send a message with their loved one's name and ward to medwayft.patientexperience@nhs.net and a member of the Patient Experience team will deliver the message to them. |
Sapphire |
2pm-3pm Inpatients only - one visitor. The ward is not able to support visiting for patients in the assessment unit within the ward. |
Sunderland Day Care Centre |
Due to the vulnerability of the patients, no visiting is permitted except in compassionate circumstances. The Trust has a dedicated email address for people to email their loved ones in hospital if they’re unable to visit. Please ask family members to send a message with their loved one's name and ward to medwayft.patientexperience@nhs.net and a member of the Patient Experience team will deliver the message to them. |
Surgical Admission Unit (SAU) |
The ward is not able to support visiting for patients in the assessment unit within the ward. |
Tennyson |
4pm - 5pm |
Victory |
3pm - 4pm |
Wakeley |
4pm - 5pm |
Will Adams |
3pm - 4pm |
Arrangements for outpatient appointments remain the same, in that we ask all outpatients to attend appointments alone unless they are a child patient or require a carer.
- Summary:
Protecting our patients and those who care for them is our top priority at all times, and we are pleased to say that following the implementation of new processes and policies in addition to the social distancing and infection control measures already in place, we are reinstating patient visiting on some wards, with conditions, from Monday 17 August.