Visitors to be given choice on masks in certain areas

PEOPLE visiting their loved ones in hospitals across Derbyshire will have the choice of whether to wear a face mask or not in certain areas.

New guidance has been issued covering the wearing of face masks, restrictions on the number of visitors and the use of swabs on patients.

At the Royal Derby Hospital and Chesterfield Royal Hospital, the wearing of masks in certain situations for visitors has been relaxed and described as a “personal choice”. When visitors are entering patient bays or single rooms the wearing of face masks remains mandatory but in all other areas of the hospitals, it will be left up to the person.

Only patients with “suspected or confirmed respiratory infection such as Covid-19 or influenza” will have a mask provided for that person. All other patients in the two hospitals will have the choice if they want to wear a mask or not.

Staff working at the Royal Derby will continue to wear a mask “while delivering patient care in bays, clinic rooms and while transporting patients between departments.” The same will apply to those members of staff working at the Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

Garry Marsh, interim executive chief nurse at the Royal Derby Hospital said: “This may feel like a big change for some of you, because masks have been a key part of our Covid-19 measures for so long. However, thanks to the success of the vaccination programme, we’re now caring for a low number of patients who have tested positive for Covid-19, very few of whom have been hospitalised as a result of their Covid infection.

“Thank you to our communities for following our guidance throughout the pandemic.”

Meanwhile, some other restrictions have changed at Chesterfield Royal Hospital. According to the trust, visitors accompanying patients to outpatient appointments or A&E will be able to stay with their loved ones. The trust also said it will no longer be swabbing patients unless they display Covid symptoms.