Covid: Chesterfield Royal Hospital halts non-essential patient visits

The new rules come into force on 31 December

Non-essential patient visits to a hospital are to be suspended.

Chesterfield Royal Hospital, in Derbyshire, is imposing the new visiting rules from 31 December to prevent the spread of infection, maintain care and protect patients.

It said it was not the only hospital to do so and it comes as the number of patients with Covid rises nationally.

The hospital currently has 48 patients with Covid, with one of them in critical care.

Chief nurse Krishna Kallianpur said it had been a "tough" decision

Chief nurse Krishna Kallianpur said: "This was a tough clinical decision and we will be continually reviewing, with any updates posted on our social media channels or on our website.

"We are incredibly grateful for your support during these challenging times.

"Please know we are doing all we can to continue to care for people and this is a precautionary and temporary measure."

The hospital said exemptions and potential leniency would apply for:

• Dying patients

• Birthing partners of women during labour and immediately afterwards

• Parents or guardians visiting a child

• Patients with mental health issues, dementia, a learning disability or autism where not having visitors may cause distress

• Critically ill patients in ICU or high dependency areas