Northern services visiting details

Visitors and patients are not routinely required to wear face coverings unless it is their personal preference.

To help keep our most vulnerable patients safe and to help protect our visitors, there are some exceptions to this, which are as follows:

  • In settings (inpatient or outpatient) where patients are at high risk of infection due to immunosuppression, e.g. oncology/haematology and renal services, visitors will be asked to wear a facemask
  • Visitors will be asked to wear a surgical facemask if visiting a high-risk area or a patient with suspected/known COVID-19
  • Individuals accompanying patients to ED and admission areas will continue to be encouraged to wear face coverings

Please help us to help you and your loved one by not attending if you are showing any symptoms of COVID-19 or flu or any other infection (such as diarrhoea and vomiting).

Our approach to visiting is returning to where it was before the pandemic, so most restrictions have been removed. In summary:

Adult inpatients

  • Open visiting 7 days a week 10am-8pm
  • Critical care: 11am-8pm (rest period 1pm-2pm)
  • There should be no more than two visitors/support people visiting/accompanying unless in exceptional circumstances.

Children

  • Revert to normal visiting
  • Two visitors at a bedside at any one-time (excluding parents/carers). Siblings can visit. Parents 24/7, other visitors 12pm-730pm.

Maternity

  • Labour ward two birth partners can be with the woman 24/7
  • Ward - one person 9am-8pm, two people 3pm-6pm and own siblings
  • Outpatients one adult
  • Community one adult and own siblings

Neo Natal Unit

  • Unrestricted access for parents and siblings.
  • Visiting for anyone other than parents, siblings or support person to be between 2-8pm
  • Only two visitors at the cot side at any one time (excluding siblings). Visits can be taken together in 1 x 1-hour slot (with two visitors) or split between two one-hour slots (one visitor at a time).

Outpatients and day treatment units, ED

  • Patients may be accompanied by two people where appropriate and necessary to assist their communication and/or to meet their health, care, emotional, religious, or spiritual care needs.
  • There should be no more than twovisitors/support people visiting/accompanying unless in exceptional.

Other ways to stay in touch

Video calling

If the patient does not have their own device, we can facilitate a call to friends and family in place of a visit. Please speak with the nurse in charge who will be able to arrange this for you.

Please note – calls have to be booked in advance and are subject to availability.

Ready to start your arranged video visit? All you need to do is select the ward below.

Select a ward (please do not enter a waiting room unless you have pre-booked an appointment):

Emailing

If you would like to send letters, drawings or cards to your loved one you can email them to rduh.patientexperience@nhs.net placing “PATIENT COMMUNICATION” in the subject line and adding the patient’s details to the email. Attachments will be printed and delivered to the patient.

Last updated: January 05, 2024

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