Visiting paused at Chester and Ellesmere Port hospitals
- Published
The restrictions affect two hospitals run by the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
An NHS trust has paused visiting at two hospitals due to an increase in patients with influenza.
The restrictions were put in place at Ellesmere Port Hospital and in adult acute inpatient areas at the Countess of Chester Hospital on Wednesday.
The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said it had seen a "notable increase" in flu cases.
This number has almost doubled over the past week and continues to rise, the trust said.
The trust is currently caring for 41 patients with confirmed influenza, and they are currently being nursed in dedicated single rooms alongside others who have influenza.
Exceptions to visiting restrictions apply to patients receiving end of life care and extremely vulnerable patients, who will be risk assessed on an individual basis.
Visitors to the paediatric ward and neonatal unit are limited to parents only, with exceptions applied on an individual basis by the nurse in charge.
Visiting the obstetric ward continues as normal.
'Monitoring and reviewing'
Sue Pemberton, acting director of nursing and quality and acting assistant chief executive officer at the trust, said: "We are one of several trusts in our region currently experiencing very high levels of demand, as the cold weather leads to rising levels of ill health.
"Preventing the spread of flu is a top priority for us, which is why imposing restricted visiting is the right thing to do to protect our patients.
"We know this will be frustrating for those wanting to see their loved ones, and I would like to reassure them that while this is a difficult decision for us to take, it is necessary because we must protect our patients.
"We will be frequently monitoring and reviewing the situation and will inform you of any further changes to visiting via our website and social media channels."
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