Covid: Lincolnshire hospitals ease visitor restrictions

Most visits to hospitals in Lincoln, Boston and Grantham were stopped in January

Hospitals in Lincolnshire have eased restrictions on visits to patients.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (ULHT) stopped most visits in January after it declared an emergency due a rise in Covid cases.

Patients will now be given a risk rating depending on how ill they are and the level of infection controls on each ward.

Visitors will have to pre-book and provide proof of a negative lateral flow test before they are admitted.

The test results are recorded on visitors' NHS Covid passes which will have to be shown before they are allowed in, the trust said.

It added that it expected queues, so asked visitors to arrive 15 minutes early.

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All visitors would be asked to wear a hospital-provided face mask while on the sites, ULHT said.

Dr Karen Dunderdale, director of Nursing at ULHT, described the process as "straightforward".

"We understand how valuable visiting is to our patients and their loved ones and have worked incredibly hard to make this possible in a way that is as safe as can be for our patients, their visitors and our staff," she said.

"All of our staff are really pleased to be able to do this for our patients and their loved ones as we appreciate how important this is to them. This process will be explained to visitors when they are making their booking with the ward."

High demand and 10% staff absence led the trust, which runs hospitals in Lincoln, Boston and Grantham, to declare an emergency on 1 January.

It stepped down from the "critical incident" on 13 January.

A team of 30 military medics was brought in last month to help.