Hospitals call on people to limit visits

EAST Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust is asking the public to limit visiting and to consider other ways of keeping in touch, like phone calls, FaceTime and Skype.

To minimise risk, the Trust is asking that visitors to their hospital sites (Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital, Burnley General Teaching Hospital, and Accrington, Pendle and Clitheroe Community Hospitals) must be immediate family members or carers.

In the revised advice, from 6am in Wednesday, they are also asking that the public not visit any health and care settings.

This advice applies to all inpatient, diagnostic, outpatient and emergency care areas of the hospital, if they are:

* unwell, especially if they have a high temperature or a new, persistent cough

* vulnerable as a result of their medication, a chronic illness or they are over 70 years old.

Following guidance from NHS England, visitors should be limited to one per patient unless the patient is receiving end-of-life care, or the visitor needs to be accompanied, or they are a partner and birthing partner accompanying a woman in labour.

The Trust has asked that no children under 12 visits without prior permission from the ward sister or charge nurse.

Visiting is restricted to one hour per day from 2.30pm to 3:30pm in hospitals and other health and care settings

The Trust appreciates that this is a very troubling time for everyone, and asks for the public’s help in respecting these rules which keep patients and staff safe.