From Friday 6 August, current visiting restrictions in place at Peterborough City, Hinchingbrooke and Stamford Hospitals will be lifted following the drop in local infection rates.
The Trust had previously restricted visiting to inpatient areas from 26 July after cases locally were increasing and the number of Covid-positive patients in our hospitals had grown.
However, following regular review of the situation, the decision to gradually lift restrictions has been taken to help support our patients while protecting them in a controlled way.
Dr Kanchan Rege, Chief Medical Officer at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Peterborough City, Hinchingbrooke and Stamford and Rutland Hospitals, said: “We are pleased to gradually lift our visiting restrictions once again. We do not make these decisions lightly, and need to focus upon maintaining a safe environment for our staff, visitors and patients who are vulnerable to Covid-19.
"To do this we need everyone to follow the rules that we have in place when coming to our hospital sites, with enforced social distancing, mask-wearing, using the hand sanitising stations and following the signage that we have installed across our sites."
We encourage visitors to participate in the twice weekly lateral flow testing that is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests
For more information on our visiting restrictions please see our Trust website and social media channels for details.
For general inpatient visiting our visiting guidelines are:
Green non-Covid wards. One visitor per day to be booked with the ward in advance (the same person each day) during allocated visiting hours, as per the following:
- Odd numbered patient beds 1pm to 2pm
- Even numbered patient beds 3pm to 4pm
- Side rooms 3pm to 4pm
Please contact the wards to arrange this in advance.
In other areas:
- One person to accompany ED attendees during the arrival process. Once booking in and triage is complete, the accompanying individual may be asked to leave to ensure social distancing can be maintained. This is at the discretion of the treating clinician.
- Two visitors for end of life patients.
- Visiting parent of a child in addition to the resident parent. No other children.
- One carer for adult patients to support in exceptional circumstances e.g. dementia/anxiety/learning disability for an unspecified time.
- No overnight stays are permitted, but these may be considered in exceptional circumstances with prior approval.
- Outpatient Departments - No accompanying individuals unless at the discretion of the treating clinician (exceptions apply).
For Maternity Services, our visiting guidelines remain unaffected. These are:
- One birthing partner in labour (induction of labour)
- One birthing partner allowed into all hospital antenatal appointments and scans, including EPAU and Antenatal Day Unit. Lateral Flow testing to be completed prior to attending if coming to EPAU - please arrive 45 mins before your appointment. No children to attend antenatal appointments.
- One visitor who was the birthing partner to visit between 08.00 – 20.00
- Inpatient areas, one birthing partner can attend between 08.00 – 20.00. Siblings may attend however this needs to be arranged with the Midwife in Charge to be allocated a time spot in advance.
- Time slots cannot be changed as these are in place to allow for social distancing
- Inpatient areas, no birthing partner staying overnight
Details on keeping in touch with your loved ones during the Covid-19 pandemic are available here:
https://www.nwangliaft.nhs.uk/about-us/trust-news/latest-coronavirus-update/keeping-in-touch-with-your-loved-ones-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/
