Visiting Restricted And Wards Closed At UHNS

Three general wards at UHNS are currently closed to new admissions because of the prevalence of Norovirus and the hospital has today announced a second restriction on hospital visiting times.

Until further notice visiting will be restricted to one hour a day, normally between 6.30pm and 7.30pm and no children will be allowed onto the wards on both the Royal Infirmary and City General hospital sites. The visiting restrictions are in place across all wards at both the Royal Infirmary and City General hospital sites. Anyone who wants to check the visiting times on any particular ward should nominate one family member to call the ward directly.

Helen Jenkinson, Deputy Director of Infection Prevention and Control, says, “We are now in the prime season for norovirus, commonly known as the ‘winter vomiting bug’. We are taking this quick action again as a precaution to try and prevent it taking a hold within the hospital. In addition to a range of infection control measures on the wards, restricting visiting will help prevent further spread of this illness. Norovirus comes into the hospital from the community but is more contagious than the common cold and can be dangerous for vulnerable patients. Visiting time will generally be restricted to 6.30pm to 7.30pm on all wards, and no children will be allowed onto the wards, but staff will exercise discretion in some areas where families need to visit, for instance Children’s wards, Critical Care and the Maternity department. We know how important visiting is for our patients and their relatives so we will not keep this restriction in place for any longer than we need to.”

To help reduce the spread of the virus, anyone experiencing symptoms of diarrhoea or vomiting should seek advice from their family doctor or NHS Direct rather than coming to A&E unless they are seriously ill.

NHS Direct can be called 24 hours a day on 0845 4647