COVID BLOW FOR HOSPITAL VISITORS
AN increase in the number of Covid cases has forced the Westcountry’s biggest hospital to halt plans to lift visitor restrictions.
Lenny Byrne, chief nurse and director of clinical professions at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, said due to the increase in coronavirus infections and some changes in the Covid-response, restrictions on visiting and attending appointments with patients at Derriford have to be kept in place.
Patients at the hospital are only allowed to have a visitor “under exceptional circumstances,” for example if they are approaching the end of their life, or if they are an outpatient who requires a carer or support with them.
Mr Byrne said he understood how important it was for people to see their loved ones in hospital, but unfortunately the presence of Covid in the community meant restrictions needed to be in place.
He said: “I do really understand how important it is for people to see their loved ones when they’re in hospital, it’s a really difficult time for families, and we were just about to consider lifting some of the restrictions that we had in place.
“But unfortunately as a result of some of the changes in the Covidresponse and the presence of Covid both in the community and therefore in the hospital, from an infection control/patient and staff safety perspective, we have had to keep those restrictions in place.”
He said patients who want to bring a carer or supporter to an appointment should telephone the hospital ahead of the appointment. “If you are attending for an outpatient appointment, we are asking that people come alone to reduce the footfall and to support us in trying to maintain social-distancing. However what I would like to say is we don’t want people to come independently if they need a carer or support to come with them.
“We’re very conscious of the fact that it’s very important for people to be able to make that decision to bring somebody with them if it’s absolutely necessary,” he added.
Meanwhile a care home in Torquay has been closed to visitors due to an outbreak of Covid-19 among elderly residents and staff.
Public Health England and Torbay Council have confirmed the virus has been detected at Hadleigh Court care home in Stanley Road, Babbacombe.
They have not given any indication of how many people have been affected but it is understood at least 12 people have tested positive.
Public Health England South West, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, Torbay Council and NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group have confirmed they are supporting the care home following the outbreak of Covid-19.
Staff are closely monitoring residents and ensuring anyone with symptoms is being referred for clinical assessment and testing. A spokesperson for Hadleigh Court Care Home, said: “After being Covid free for over seven months we are disappointed to now be faced with the virus in the home.
“The safety of our residents comes first and we are doing everything we can to contain the virus and deliver the best care for them. We continue to follow the government’s guidelines and we are working very closely with the relevant authorities to keep our residents and staff as safe as possible.”
In a joint statement, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust and Torbay Council said: “We are supporting the owners and staff of Hadleigh Court to ensure they are able to safely care for their residents, keep families informed and protect their staff at this time.”
The home is being helped with any other issues such as staff shortages, deep cleaning of the home, unplanned expenditure or help sourcing Personal Protective Equipment. Relatives of all the residents are being kept informed.
The Hadleigh Court website describes the business as a 27-bedroom residential care home with a core staff of 23, which welcomes men and women aged over 65, some needing 24-hour care. It is registered with the Care Quality Commission which said it was aware of the situation and was monitoring the home closely.
Mike Wade, Deputy Director for Health Protection at Public Health England South West, said it was working closely with the home to provide public health advice to stop the virus spreading.
If you are attending for an appointment come alone to reduce footfall LENNY BYRNE, CHIEF NURSE, DERRIFORD