Covid: Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust to ease visitor rules

Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital is among those where the visitor guidance has been changed

Patients at a Hampshire NHS trust have been allowed to have a visitor as coronavirus restrictions ease.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust had kept visitor restrictions in place over concerns about Covid-19 case numbers.

Visitors to hospitals in Andover, Basingstoke and Winchester will still have to wear masks, take a later flow test and book their visit in advance.

The trust said the new rules were "striking the right balance".

Visitors will be required to follow social distancing rules and bring evidence of their negative test result if possible.

They also need to book their visit in advance by contacting the nurse in charge of the ward.

If the patient is a child, one parent, guardian or carer will also be allowed to stay with them.

The changes follow the trust's initial decision not to allow visitors due high numbers of Covid cases earlier this month.

They do not apply to existing visitor arrangements for maternity services or end-of-life care.

Katie Prichard-Thomas, deputy chief nurse at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said keeping patients and staff safe remained a top priority.

"We understand how important it is for families and friends to stay connected and how difficult it can be when face-to-face visiting isn't possible," she added.

University Hospital Southampton allows visits to inpatients within their first 48 hours in hospital or after more than seven days.

Visits to patients at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham are allowed in "exceptional circumstances" including when inpatients have been in hospital for more than two weeks.

All Covid rules in England, including the legal duty to self-isolate when testing positive, will end this week.