Visiting someone at St Mary’s Hospice
If someone important to you is an inpatient at St Mary’s Hospice, you may be worried about whether you can visit them. Here you can find the latest information to help you work out if you can visit, how to see someone safely and what to do if you cannot be there in person. To minimise infection risks due to Covid-19 and in the interests of the welfare of patients, staff, volunteers and visitors, please read below the latest update regarding visiting St Mary’s Hospice.
COVID-19 (Coronavirus): guidance on visiting the Hospice
The symptoms of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) may be more severe in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long term and life-limiting conditions such as diabetes, cancer, and chronic lung disease. These people may become ill despite having been vaccinated.
As an organisation, we recognise the need for our services to respond quickly to support those who need our care and support and will be taking the necessary steps to protect those people who are most vulnerable both at home and in the Hospice.
Every person we support will be assessed, and in tandem with them and their family, we will collectively determine what precautions need to be taken. We will no longer be advocating universal precautions that have been in place for the last two years but from 1st July 2022 surgical masks will be worn by everyone delivering care to our patients in St Mary’s Hospice and by staff and volunteers who will providing care and support to people living at Home. We respectively request that all visitors to attending the Living Well Centre also wear a mask if this can be tolerated.
Visiting patients at the Hospice
The health, safety and wellbeing of our patients, their families, our staff and volunteers remain our absolute priority and like all health organisations we will continue to do all we can to protect patients, visitors, staff and volunteers as we live alongside the Coronavirus.
All In-Patients will be able to receive as many visitors as they choose.
Visitors who have tested positive for COVID-19 will not be able to enter the building and in these circumstances ‘virtual’ visiting will be organised.
Staff and volunteers caring for patients will continue to self-administer LFD tests twice a week in accordance with NHS guidance. If they become positive they will isolate for a minimum period of 5 days, if negative on LFD testing on both day 5 and 6 (24 hours apart). If remaining positive they will refrain from working for up to 10 days or until their test is negative. A risk assessment will also be considered and for the most vulnerable patients and we will do all we can, not to expose them to anyone who may have been recently exposed to COVID-19.
For patients arriving from home: A test will be undertaken within the first day or two of admission and additional tests will be conducted if they develop symptoms, these tests will guide their medical assessment and treatment plan.
Patients discharged from hospital: Should be routinely tested before they are transferred over, if this hasn’t been possible a test will be arranged on arrival and if symptoms develop.
Frequent hand washing is advised and water-free sanitisers are available too. In the event of a patient testing positive, further protection measures will be put into place and discussed with visitors on a case by case basis.
If you have any further questions, please do ask.
Thank you for your ongoing support
St Mary’s Zero Tolerance Policy