Visiting hours will be restricted to 2-3pm for this Saturday and Sunday only. There will also be a maximum of two adult visitors per patient and children under 11 years old will not be allowed to visit. People will be turned away unless these measures are followed.
The hospital is also urging people not to come if they’ve experienced diarrhoea or vomiting in the last 48 hours. We are making every effort to inform current patients and their visitors of the restrictions.
The restrictions will be in place in an effort to stop people coming into the hospital in an effort to reduce the spread of the highly infectious winter vomiting bug, Norovirus. The rate of gastroenteritis across the population of North Somerset is very high, with North Somerset experiencing a rate of 99.1 per 100,000 people compared to 55.9 in Bath and North East Somerset.
There is evidence that at least one of the recent ward closures links to a relative coming in with symptoms and we are therefore restricting visiting across the Trust to reduce the likelihood of further Norovirus being inadvertently brought in by visitors.
Three wards remain closed at the hospital - Uphill, Kewstoke and the Stroke Unit. Specific wards with any current outbreaks are clearly indicated by banner signs. People are being asked to sanitise their hands on arrival at the hospital.
Director of Nursing and Infection Control Lead at the Hospital, Chris Perry, said:
“It is a very difficult decision to make but an absolutely necessary one. We understand that our patients have family and friends who may wish to visit and they will be allowed to come but only under these strict restrictions.
“Norovirus is extremely infectious and is bought into the hospital from the community. So people coming into the hospital carrying the bug can easily transmit it to our patients. This is why we are urging people only to come here if their visit is absolutely essential.”
According to up to date figures from Public Health England, North Somerset has 99.1% presence of Gastroenteritis per 100,000 people in the population. The current national figure is 78.1%.
Miss Perry continued: “We have put these visiting restrictions in place as Norovirus is being brought in to the hospital from the community and infecting our wards. We need to keep patients, some with life-threatening illnesses, safe and free from community-acquired infections.”
The Trust will review the weekend’s visitor restriction on Monday 9 March. Terminally and critically ill patients are not subject to these restrictions.