Hospital visitor guidance – 15 May 2023

On this page

• 15 May 2023 General Visitor Guidance
• 28 October 2022 Visitor Guidance for Nidderdale
• 24 October 2022 Visitor Guidance for Byland
• 21 October 2022 Visitor Guidance for Byland and Nidderdale wards
• 1 July 2022 Visitor Guidance for Maternity Department
• 1 July 2022 General Visitor Guidance
• 17 June 2022 Visitor Guidance for Maternity Department
• 13 June 2022 General Visitor Guidance
• 18 May 2022 Visitor Guidance
• 4 March 2022 Visitor Guidance
• 23 December 2021 Visitor Guidance
• 19 July 2021 Advice
• Visiting arrangements – updated 12 April 2021
• Emergency Department
• Paediatrics
• Outpatients
• Maternity Services – updated 12 April 2021
• Community services
• Wearing of masks when coming to hospital – new on 15 June 2020

15 May 2023 General Visitor Guidance

Face mask wearing in the hospital has changed in accordance with national guidance from May 15^th 2023.

Visitors only need to wear a face mask when visiting a patient with a known or suspected respiratory viral infection or if visiting a patient who is severely immunocompromised e.g. Sir Robert Ogden Centre or haematology patients on Oakdale Ward.

Masks do not need to be worn in the hospital corridors. They will continue to be available at the entrance to the hospital and  on wards for those who need to or wish to wear one.

28 October 2022 Visitor Guidance for Nidderdale

Routine visiting will resume on Byland Ward from Friday 28 October 2022 .

24 October 2022 Visitor Guidance for Byland

Routine visiting will resume on Byland Ward from Tuesday 25 October 2022 .

21 October 2022 Visitor Guidance for Byland and Nidderdale wards

Byland and Nidderdale ward have restricted visitation to members of the public at present, except when visitors are attending due to the end of life of a patient, a patient needing assistance with feeding, dementia care and compassionate reasons (left to the Nurse in Charge’s discretion).

1 July 2022 Visitor Guidance for Maternity Department

Guidelines for Covid 19 have been reviewed by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust this morning and with immediate effect we now ask that staff, patients and visitors wear a face mask. This is in response to increasing local levels of Covid 19 and to reduce the potential risk of transmission of asymptomatic Covid 19 within our care settings.

The revised visiting and the ability to have a second birth partner remains unchanged (as below).

Masks :

• Women, partners, visitors and staff in ANC, MAC, Delivery Suite and Pannal are all required to wear a face covering (women birthing are not required to).

Antenatal Clinic:

• Children are now able to attend the appointment with you, if attending in your GP surgery please check their surgery guidance as this may differ to HDFT.
• As previous, if requiring a scan at your appointment children are not able to come into the scan room and need to be supervised by someone else in the waiting room.

Birth Partners:

• 2 birth partners are now allowed on Delivery Suite to support you, if having Induction of Labour then 1 birth partner can stay overnight until labour establishes, at that point your 2nd birth partner may join you (as pre Covid regulations).

Postnatal visiting:

• Your own children/ stepchildren are able to visit (as pre Covid no other children can visit).
• Partners can visit 9am-9pm and are not able to stay overnight at present.
• Visiting is open 2-4pm and 6-8pm for 1 additional visitor (alongside your birth partner) – one visitor per slot and we cannot accommodate ‘swopping over’ of multiple visitors.
• We kindly ask that you organise with your family/friends and assign the additional visiting slot so that we are not having to turn anyone away as you already have a visitor for that slot in addition to your birth partner.

Swabbing process for elective caesarean section and admission on labour:

• This remains unchanged and we will continue to gain consent to swab for asymptomatic Covid so that we can both plan your care and management of other patients already in our care.

Please can we ask if partners/ visitors are either Covid positive or symptomatic of possible Covid not to attend the unit. As local or national guidance updates further amendments may be required to visiting in Maternity at HDFT.

Thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding in review of the guidelines.

1 July 2022 General Visitor Guidance

Please wear a mask on our inpatient wards.

Due to rising COVID-19 rates in the community, please can visitors wear a mask on our inpatient wards to protect our patients and staff, and prevent the spread of the virus.

Thank you for your understanding.

17 June 2022 Visitor Guidance for Maternity Department

Visiting guidelines in maternity have been reviewed and are as follows with immediate effect:

Masks

• Masks are no longer required in Anti-Natal Clinic, Maternity Assessment Centre, Delivery Suite and Pannal Ward for women and birth partners/ visitors. If attending in your GP surgery please check their surgery guidance as this may differ to Harrogate District Hospital.
• Staff have the personal choice as to whether they wear a mask for their own protection so you may see some with and others without a mask.
• When attending the maternity ward, labour nursing staff providing close contact care will continue to wear a mask until the result of your Covid swab is back and proven negative.

Anti-Natal Clinic at HDFT

• Children are now able to attend the appointment at Harrogate District Hospital with you. If attending in your GP surgery please check their surgery guidance as this may differ to HDFT
• If you are requiring a scan at your appointment, children are not able to come into the scan room and need to be supervised by someone else in the waiting room.

Birth Partners

• Two birth partners are now allowed on the Delivery Suite to support you. If you are having an induction of labour then one birth partner can stay overnight until labour establishes, at that point your second birth partner may join you (as pre Covid regulations).

Postnatal visiting

• Your own children/stepchildren are able to visit (as pre-Covid no other children can visit).
• Partners can visit 9am-9pm but are not able to stay overnight at present.
• Visiting is open 2-4pm and 6-8pm for one additional adult visitor (alongside your birth partner) – there can only be one additional adult visitor per slot and we cannot accommodate ‘swopping over’ of multiple visitors.
• We kindly ask that you organise with your family/friends and assign the additional visiting slot so that we are not having to turn anyone away as you already have a visitor for that slot in addition to your birth partner.

Swabbing process for elective caesarean section and admission on labour

This remains unchanged and we will continue to gain consent to swab for asymptomatic Covid so that we can both plan your care and management of other patients already in our care.

Partners/visitors who are either Covid positive or symptomatic of possible Covid should not attend the unit.

As local or national guidance is updated further amendments may be required to visiting in Maternity at HDFT.

Thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding in the last two years.

13 June 2022 General Visitor Guidance

Visiting restrictions have been eased further. Visiting hours at Harrogate District Hospital and Ripon Community Hospital are now 2pm-4pm and 6pm-8pm. Up to two visitors can visit a patient at any one time. Booking is not required. Please do not visit if you have symptoms of a respiratory illness (cold/flu-like illness) or you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 10 days.

Visitors/patients to the hospital no longer need to wear a mask (unless they wish to) in many areas of our hospitals. However, visitors/patients should continue to wear a mask in the following departments/areas:

• ED (Emergency Department)
• MDU (Medical Day Unit)
• Minor Injuries Unit, Ripon / Urgent Treatment Centre, Selby
• Dermatology
• SROMC (Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre)
• SDEC (Same Day Emergency Care)
• Radiology (Xray, CT / MRI Scan)
• Oakdale Ward (if visiting haematology patients)
• GP Out of Hours Service

For all other departments and wards not listed above, it is your personal choice if you wish to wear a mask.

18 May 2022 Visitor Guidance

Please be aware this affects all opening times for all wards listed below 

Visiting restrictions have been eased further at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust’s (HDFT) hospitals in Harrogate and Ripon in line with national guidance.

Inpatients may have two visitors, between the hours of 2pm-4pm, for a duration of up to one hour. Booking to visit a loved one in hospital is no longer required.

Patient visiting guidance

Please do not visit if you have symptoms of a respiratory illness (cold/flu-like illness) or you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 10 days.

Symptoms include:

• High temperature, fever or chills
• New, continuous cough
• A loss or alteration to taste or smell
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Headache that is unusual or longer lasting than usual
• Diarrhoea, feeling sick or being sick
• Muscle aches or pains that are not due to exercise
• Runny/stuffy nose, sore throat

Visitors – please help keep patients, staff and other visitors safe by doing the following:

• Anyone visiting the hospitals will be required to wear a mask provided by the hospital.
• Wear your mask over your nose and mouth during your visit, do not put it under your nose or lower it to talk. Please discuss with staff if lip reading is required.
• Wash or sanitise your hands on entering the ward and the bay.
• Do not sit on the patient’s bed.
• Do not walk around the bay, please just stay with your relative.
• Patients may have two visitors for 1 hour between the hours of 2:00pm and 4:00pm.
• On leaving the bay and the ward, wash or sanitise your hands.
• Visiting may change at short notice if a bay requires temporary closure for an infection or due to changes in national guidance.

Visits to patients who have COVID-19 may occur in exceptional circumstances, as agreed with the Ward Manager.

Our hospital is still extremely busy and staff are working as hard as they can to care for our patients, so please help them by adhering to this guidance. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Outpatients

Outpatients visiting one of our hospitals for an appointment may have one person accompanying them if required.

4 March 2022 Visitor Guidance

Visiting restrictions are to be eased from Tuesday 8 March at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust’s (HDFT) hospitals in Harrogate and Ripon following a decline in COVID-19 infection rates in the Harrogate district.

From Tuesday 8 March, inpatients may have one visitor, by appointment, between the hours of 2pm-4pm for a duration of 30 minutes. Only two visitors are allowed in each bay at any one time.

Visitors will be able to call to book an appointment from Monday 7 March. Bookings should be made directly with the ward on which the patient is staying by calling Harrogate District Hospital on 01423 885959 or Ripon Community Hospital on 01423 542900 between 10am and 4pm and asking to be put through to the relevant ward. At the time of booking, visitors will be asked to answer screening questions so we can maintain the safety of our patients and staff.

Visitors must not have any COVID-19 symptoms, such as a high temperature; a new, continuous cough; or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste, and must not have tested positive for COVID-19 or had contact with someone who has had the infection in the last 10 days. We would strongly recommend that visitors perform a lateral flow test before coming to our hospitals.

Visits to patients who have COVID-19 or who are currently in isolation due to contact with COVID-19 may occur in exceptional circumstances, as agreed with the Ward Manager.

From Tuesday 8 March, outpatients visiting one of our hospitals for an appointment may have a maximum of one person accompany them if required.

Anyone visiting the hospitals will be required to wear a mask provided by the hospital, wash and sanitise their hands on entering and leaving the hospital/ward they are visiting, and stay with their relative whilst on the ward.

23 December 2021 Visitor Guidance

The new variant of Covid-19 (Omicron) is highly transmissible; for this reason, we need to restrict the number of visitors to the wards at our hospital to maintain patient and staff safety. From Thursday 23 December, routine visiting to wards will no longer be possible and visitors will be allowed to visit the hopsital in exceptional cases only, which the ward manager/Nurse in Charge will agree.

These exceptions include:
• Visitors of those patients who are reaching end of life
• Carers of patients who have a Learning Disability or Severe Cognitive Impairment such as Dementia
• Parent/Carer of Children
• Birthing Partners

Please speak to the Nurse in Charge if you are unsure.

These restrictions also apply to those wanting to accompany outpatients to their appointments.

We hope you understand the importance of protecting both patients and staff and therefore why we have had to take this difficult decision. We appreciate this will be disappointing and upsetting for many people, however this decision has not been taken by the staff caring for your loved one so please do not express any frustration toward them. Our staff do an incredible job on a daily basis and any type of violence and aggression toward them will not be tolerated.

19 July 2021 Advice

Following national advice published on 15 July, as Covid restrictions are lifted in many places from 19 July, please remember the safety of our patients & staff continues to be our highest priority. We will be continuing to maintain our strict Covid-19 protocols for patients and visitors.

Dr Jacqueline Andrews, Executive Medical Director at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“The safety of our patients and staff is our highest priority. We must continue to do all we can to look after some of the most vulnerable members of our community as well as our staff who are providing care.

“We are still in this together, and we will be continuing to maintain our strict Covid-19 protocols for patients and visitors, even if guidance is changing in other settings. We are continuing to ask people to wear a mask at all times when in our hospitals, sanitise their hands and keep 2 metres distance from others.

“We must stay cautious and vigilant.

“Our colleagues are here to keep everyone safe and we ask that people continue to be kind and considerate.

“Patients and visitors have generally been fantastic at following our guidance throughout the pandemic, and we know that they will appreciate why we’re continuing with what’s already in place.”

Visiting arrangements – updated 12 April 2021

All inpatients may have one visitor, by appointment, between the hours of 2-4pm for a duration of 30 minutes. Bookings should be made directly with the ward on which the patient is.

Only two visitors are allowed in each bay at any one time.

Patients who are end of life, have dementia or a learning disability or have been in hospital for a long time may continue to have open/flexible visiting as before.

All visitors will be asked a series of questions at the time of booking about their Covid-19 health, travel and requests to isolate.

If the booking is made the day before they visit, the visitor must contact the ward on the day of visiting to ensure the information is still correct.

We thank you for your understanding.

Guidance for visitors

Visitors must wear personal protective equipment (PPE) – a mask and a visor. These will be provided on arrival at the hospital. There is no need for visitors to self/household isolate for 14 days after visiting (because a mask and visor is worn and good hand hygiene is followed).

Visitors to the hospital will not be admitted onto wards to see relatives if they are displaying any symptoms of Covid-19, as well as flu or diarrhoea and vomiting. This will allow us to maintain patient safety at all times and prevent the spread of infection.

If visitors are waiting for the results of a Covid-19 test, they will need to return on receipt of these results, provided they are negative. Equally, if visitors have been contacted by Test and Trace to inform them that they are required to isolate at home, they will need to wait for the isolation period to be finished before being allowed to visit a relative.

We will also not be able to admit any visitors who have returned from international travel to countries with a 14 day quarantine period, until that period is finished.

Emergency Department

No accompanying visitors are allowed in the ED, with the exception of child patients who can be accompanied by one adult. Exception also includes the above instances in the bullet point list. This will be at the discretion of the shift lead.

Community services

In the community, colleagues are aiming for a minimal number of visits, instead using technology to facilitate remote appointments. We know that many teams are doing this already and that is much appreciated.

Wearing of masks when coming to hospital – new on 15 June 2020

This is an update about the use of face coverings when coming to Harrogate District Hospital and/or Ripon Community Hospital.

People infected with Covid-19 can have very mild or no respiratory symptoms (asymptomatic) and can transmit the virus to others without being aware of it.

In line with recommendations from the World Health Organisation, we introduced measures to keep visitors, patients, and staff safe.