Staying safe during your visit

We have removed many of our remaining Covid-19 measures in line with national NHS guidance.

Mask wearing

Patients, visitors and staff are no longer required to wear a face mask in non-clinical areas and in the majority of clinical areas. However, you may be asked to wear a mask in areas where we are treating our most vulnerable patients.

Whilst you no longer need to wear a mask, we recognise some people will feel more comfortable doing so. If you would like to wear a mask, please do so.

Visiting

You do not need to book a visiting time but please check visiting hours for the specific ward or unit. In some circumstances, if you are visiting someone who has an infection – or who is especially vulnerable to infection – a member of staff may ask you to wear a face mask and, in some cases, other personal protective equipment. Find out more about visiting

As always, for anyone coming into our hospitals, please keep the following in mind:

• if you feel unwell – for example if you have symptoms of Covid-19, any respiratory illness, flu, sickness or diarrhoea– please do not come to hospital
• we may need to restrict visiting in certain areas from time to time to help protect our most vulnerable patients, or to prevent the spread of infections or illnesses. We appreciate your understanding in these circumstances
• use hand sanitiser or wash your hands as you enter the hospital and when entering or leaving any department
• follow any local infection prevention and control measures, as advised by staff and signage

Planned care

You no longer need to take a lateral flow or PCR test before you come into hospital. This is in line with the latest government guidance.

In some exceptional circumstances your doctor may still ask you to do a test, but this is very rare. This would be discussed with you before your admission to hospital.

Read more about preparing to come to hospital for a procedure or surgery.

Simple steps to keep you safe during your hospital stay

While you are in hospital, keeping you safe and well is a priority for the staff looking after you. There are also some simple things you can do to help keep yourself safe during your hospital stay.

This information is available in the Simple steps leaflet.

Call for concern

Clinical deterioration is detected by clinical staff every day, using their own skills, and knowledge as well as digital and other early warning systems. However, friends and relatives, as well as patients themselves, may spot ‘soft signs’ of deterioration before it becomes apparent to staff.   

Call for concern is a 24/7 service that helps patients, relatives and carers get direct access to senior clinicians if they are concerned that ward staff aren’t recognising that a patient’s condition may be getting worse. 

This service is only for patients staying in our hospitals.

Covid-19 vaccination

We continue to urge everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

Read more about Covid-19 vaccinations and how to book one.  

Waiting times

During the height of the pandemic, as we had to focus more on caring for patients with Covid-19 and other urgent and emergency needs, our waiting lists for planned care grew. It is the same across the whole NHS. Our clinicians prioritise all patients waiting for care according to individual clinical need. Waiting times will be different for different people, even those with the same condition. If you require care more urgently, you will be seen more quickly. We are increasing our planned care capacity and have a number of other initiatives in place to help reduce our waiting times as quickly as possible.

If you or a family member are waiting for hospital treatment, you can access the NHS My Planned Care digital platform which provides the latest average waiting times across all NHS trusts.

The My Planned Care platform also provides helpful advice and support while you are waiting, including details on how to manage any pain, your mental health, keeping healthy and accessing financial help and other local support. It can also help you to prepare for your care, including how to make a plan for your care and treatment alongside your healthcare professional.

Find out more about preparing to come into hospital for a planned procedure or surgery.