Updated 23/12/20
To ensure patient, staff and visitor safety, visiting arrangements have changed due to recent developments during the COVID-19 outbreak. This is in response to communication from Scottish Government on Saturday 19 December advising of the potential for the new COVID-19 variant to spread more easily and the plan for all local authorities within NHSGGC alongside other areas in Scotland to move to Tier 4 on Saturday 26 December.
Visiting in our hospitals is as follows:
Wednesday 23 December – Thursday 24 December
Inverclyde Royal Hospital: One Designated Visitor and Essential Visits
All Other Hospitals: Essential Visits Only
Friday 25 December, only
Inverclyde Royal Hospital: One Designated Visitor and Essential Visits
All Other Hospitals: Essential Visits Only
Saturday 26 December until further notice
All Hospitals: Essential Visits Only
Whilst the Scottish Government have advised there will be no changes to existing visiting guidance for people in hospital on Christmas Day, we will where it is safe to do so apply flexibility and compassion to ensure that no one is isolated if this can be avoided.
Examples of essential visits include but are not limited to:
The above examples can include any other situations where clinical staff assess that it is essential to involve family or carers for ethical or patient safety reasons.
All arrangements MUST be made through the nurse in charge of the ward before visiting.
What do I need to know before visiting?
You will not be allowed to visit if you do not pass this safety check.
The ward staff will ask all visitors to provide contact details. This is normal in the current circumstances to assist Public Health, Test and Protect colleagues should there be a need to contact you. Your contact information will be used for Trace and Protect purposes only and will be securely destroyed once the information is no longer required.
It is essential you do not visit if you have a persistent cough, loss of taste or smell, flu like symptoms or fever.
Where possible it is advised by the Scottish Government for travel to or from areas where higher numbers of people with COVID to be restricted. There are a number of exceptions to this, which allows:
· People to travel to visit a person receiving treatment in a hospital, staying in a hospice or care home, or to accompany a person to a medical appointment. Full guidance on travelling safely can be found here.
If you cannot visit in person, please use technology such as social media and phone calls to stay in touch. If the person you want to speak to does not have access to their own phone or tablet, please contact [email protected] to access our Person Centred Virtual Visiting service. All wards have iPads specially set up to enable 'virtual visits' (video call) allowing patients to see and talk to the people who matter to them using FaceTime, Skype or Zoom. Further information about this service is available here.
If you cannot visit your loved one in hospital, you can still drop off small packages of essential personal items for them, using the Give & Go service which is available at a few of our hospitals. For more details, see our Give & Go page.
When guided by the Scottish Government, these restrictions will be revised and altered depending on the outbreak status of the virus and any outbreak within the hospital and local community.
Thank you for your understanding.