How can relatives and friends find out about me if I am a patient in hospital?
Having family members or friends in hospital can be worrying so inquiries about patients can made 24 hours a day by ringing 01204-390812. Staff on this main reception line can tell you which ward a patient is on and put you through to the ward.
If several people need to know about a patient, it can be helpful to the hospital if just one person rings for the information. But staff are always there to help patients and visitors with any worries.
Can I have visitors?
Visiting times vary from ward to ward so do check. Having visitors tends to cheer up patients, but patients and their wellbeing are the staff's first concern so sometimes they may restrict visitors to let you have a rest.
Visiting Times
There are restrictions to visiting times to allow patients time for rest, recovery, and for care and treatment to be carried out. In ward areas there should be no more than two visitors for each patient at any given time.
Please avoid visiting at mealtimes unless you are involved in assisting in a patient's care; wards try to minimise activity during mealtimes.
On all general wards visiting times are from 2pm to 4pm and from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
Visiting outside these times can be arranged at the discretion of the ward manager, provided this does not affect the care of other patients.
Intensive Care Unit:
The unit visiting times are 2.00pm - 3.30pm and in the evening from 6.30pm - 8.00pm.
Postnatal and Antenatal wards (M2 M4 M5)
Just one named visitor is allowed from 11am to 8pm. Normal visiting times are 3pm to 4pm and 6.30pm to 8pm when there can be three visitors to a patient.
Ward M1
Visiting times are 2pm to 4pm and 6pm to 8pm with a maximum of three visitors to a bed.
Neonatal Unit
In the Neonatal Unit our visiting is flexible in that we have no set visiting times. Parents, particularly mothers, who are often in-patients themselves can visit at any time. Other that that we discourage visiting after 10pm.
Visiting restrictions are: Children are not allowed, apart from brother and sister of the baby. We also insist that one parent accompanies all visitors. This is for reasons of security and confidentiality. We only allow two visitors for each cot space, purely for practical and safety reasons. We do have a visitors waiting room where other visitors can wait and visit the baby in turn.
Some of these restrictions can be waived in certain individual circumstances. - for example, with prior arrangement with parents, grandparents may be able to visit unaccompanied.
Click here for children's visiting times
