Visitor restrictions have been put in place at a Cambridge hospital following a rise in patients suffering with the flu and Covid-19. Cambridge University Hospitals Trust, which runs Addenbrooke’s Hospital, announced the decision this month.
The trust, which also consists of Rosie Hospital, has reduced its visiting hours for adult inpatients to between 3pm and 6pm. Only one visitor at a time, who is over the age of 12, is also allowed in all areas, including wards and the emergency department.
For paediatric inpatients, only two adult visitors are allowed at a time, with no child visitors under the age of 12. All visitors are required to wear a mask in clinical areas, although anyone who feels unable to wear one should speak to the nurse in charge.
People are being told not to visit if they are feeling unwell or have any symptoms of infection. Additional visiting might also be allowed on compassionate grounds, but this should be discussed and arranged directly with the ward.
A statement on the trust’s website said: “We understand how important it is for our patients to be supported by loved ones while they are in our care. We are committed to enabling visiting wherever possible in our hospitals.
“Due to an increase in the number of cases of norovirus, flu, RSV and Covid we are seeing in our hospitals, we are putting additional visiting restrictions in place.”
The trust is one of a number across the country to have made changes to visitor policies to protect patients. Others include The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.
Figures from NHS England showed that an average of 4,469 flu patients were in beds in England each day last week, including 211 in critical care. This is more than four times the number on December 1, when the figure was 1,098.
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