Cornwall hospitals tighten visitor rules to 'keep safe'

Hospitals in Cornwall are introducing more restrictions for visitors

Cornwall's hospitals have introduced greater restrictions on visitors to keep vulnerable patients and staff safe and reduce the risk of outbreaks.

Only inpatients receiving end-of-life care or those in paediatrics, maternity or neonatal are allowed visitors.

The rules affect patients in Cornwall's acute and community hospitals.

Cornwall's health trusts said restricting visiting during the pandemic "has been one of the hardest decisions we have had to make".

Cornwall's NHS trusts remain in critical incident status, and earlier this week, social care also declared a critical incident.

In a letter to staff, the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust said: "We have had to make the difficult decision to resume greater restrictions on inpatient visiting.

"Visiting will be restricted to just those patients who are at end of life, maternity, paediatrics and in exceptional circumstances."

For mental health inpatients decisions "will be made on an individual basis and based upon active risk assessment".

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, which runs the three main hospitals, and the Cornwall Partnership Foundation Trust, which runs community and mental health hospitals, said in a statement: "As has been the case throughout the pandemic, the impact on our hospitals has been around two to three weeks behind the national picture.

"We currently have the highest numbers of Covid-positive patients in our hospitals that we've seen since the first wave.

"We realise there will be exceptional circumstances and continue to take a compassionate and flexible approach to visiting.

"We also have a range of ways in which we are helping patients to keep in touch with family and friends."

At Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, the biggest in the South West, the current policy allows one visitor per patient in general wards.

Visitors to all South West hospitals must book their visit in advance and present a negative lateral flow result taken on the day of the visit.