Ipswich and Colchester Hospitals visitor restrictions remain

Colchester General Hospital in Essex is one of the hospitals affected by the suspension

An NHS hospitals trust which suspended visits a month ago due to Covid said some restrictions would remain.

East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), which runs Ipswich and Colchester hospitals, banned most routine visiting on 23 March.

It has recently allowed pre-booked visits to non-Covid patients who have been in hospital for more than a week.

ESNEFT said infection rates were falling in some areas, but were "still high" in and around its hospitals.

Chief executive Nick Hulme said: "Our priority, as always, is to keep everyone in our hospitals as safe as possible, but we are committed to reinstating more open ward visiting as soon as we can."

The restrictions do not apply to end-of-life care and people in formal caring roles.

Other exceptions include allowing one parent or carer to visit a child in hospital, including staying overnight, and one birthing partner being allowed for the delivery of a baby.

Other smaller hospitals run by the trust that are affected are Clacton Hospital, the Fryatt Hospital in Harwich, Aldeburgh Hospital, Felixstowe Hospital and Ipswich's Bluebird Lodge.

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