Coronavirus (COVID-19) safety measures will remain in place at hospitals run by East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT).
Although there will be big changes from Monday 19 July with lockdown restrictions lifting, Coronavirus (COVID-19) safety measures that have been in place at ESNEFT throughout the pandemic will not be changing yet.
National guidance issued this week says people in healthcare settings up and down the country must continue to stick with measures including mask wearing, social distancing and hand washing.
Therefore the Trust will continue to follow all Public Health England infection prevention and control guidelines and visiting guidance in its hospitals.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has not gone away and anyone who gets it can become seriously ill or have long-term effects, regardless of their vaccination status.
ESNEFT Chief Executive Nick Hulme, above, said: “We are urging everyone to play their part. Please continue following all the guidance we have in place at ESNEFT to reduce the risk of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection for those working in our hospitals and for those who need our care.
“Our priority is to keep everyone safe and as we are still seeing an increase in the number of people testing positive in the community and a number of new Coronavirus (COVID-19) admissions, we're asking all patients, visitors and staff to carry on wearing face masks and to stick with social distancing and hand hygiene measures in our hospitals.
“Visiting restrictions and specific arrangements for attending appointments will also continue for now.
“All these measures have helped to protect you during the pandemic. They have also helped us to continue providing many non-urgent services, which may have otherwise been stopped.
“As always we will keep all of our arrangements under regular review and we will make changes as quickly and as safely as we can.”
To help keep everyone safe, it is strongly recommended visitors and outpatients have a quick test for Coronavirus (COVID-19) before coming to ESNEFT hospitals too.
More information on how to order rapid testing kits is available on the ESNEFT website.
Visiting ESNEFT hospitals
There will not be any further changes to the visiting policy at ESNEFT for now.
Arrangements for maternity appointments and visits also remain unchanged.
This is because the Trust wants to keep everyone as safe as possible in its hospitals.
Visitors are kindly asked to remember:
Patients may have one visitor for one hour a day after they have been in hospital for 48 hours – this has been increased from 24 hours to make sure Coronavirus (COVID-19) test results have been received
The visitor must be the same for each visit for the duration of the patient's stay
Visits need to be pre-booked with our ward teams in advance
Visiting times will be staggered across our hospitals to keep footfall to a minimum
You will need to wear PPE (personal protective equipment) on the ward – this includes a surgical face mask, apron and gloves
Unplanned outdoor visits to see loved ones through windows / doors cannot be supported at this time – please book a ward visiting slot with our ward teams
Visiting patients in exceptional or compassionate circumstances, including those receiving end of life care, is encouraged and supported
Anyone showing symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19) should not visit or accompany patients to any appointments in our hospitals
The visitor must be the same for each visit for the duration of the patient's stay
Visits need to be pre-booked with our ward teams in advance
Visiting times will be staggered across our hospitals to keep footfall to a minimum
You will need to wear PPE (personal protective equipment) on the ward – this includes a surgical face mask, apron and gloves
Unplanned outdoor visits to see loved ones through windows / doors cannot be supported at this time – please book a ward visiting slot with our ward teams
Visiting patients in exceptional or compassionate circumstances, including those receiving end of life care, is encouraged and supported
Anyone showing symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19) should not visit or accompany patients to any appointments in our hospitals
Mr Hulme added: “We will continue to welcome visitors back to our wards slowly and safely.
“We understand it’s tough and that it’s worrying when someone you love is in hospital, but our restricted visiting policy is in place for everyone’s safety.
“Please be kind and do not abuse or insult our staff when you call to book a visit. They are just doing their jobs and are doing their very best to help patients and their loved ones.
“We’d like to say a big thank you to our communities for their ongoing understanding and support as we work hard to safely run services and care for our patients every day.”
All safety measures and visiting restrictions at ESNEFT cover Colchester Hospital, Ipswich Hospital, Aldeburgh Hospital, Felixstowe Hospital, Bluebird Lodge in Ipswich and services it runs at Clacton, Harwich and Halstead hospitals.
