Royal Surrey County Hospital extends visiting times

Visiting times at a Guildford hospital have been extended under a trial scheme to give people more choice about when to visit and to ease parking pressures.

The Royal Surrey County Hospital previously allowed visiting from 14:00 to 16:00 and from 18:00 to 20:00.

The two-hour break from 16:00 to 18:00 was to accommodate meals and treatment.

Visiting hours will now be from 14:00 to 20:00 but visitors will need to co-operate if patients require treatment, the NHS trust said.

'Co-operation needed'

Louise Stead, director of nursing and patient experience, said: "We are trialling the changes to visiting times to make it easier and more convenient for visitors to spend time with patients.

"We also know that early afternoon is the busiest time for our car parks and we are hoping that the new times will help to reduce pressure on patient and visitor parking as visitors will have more choice about when they come to visit."

During the Jubilee weekend, visitors will be able to see patients from 10:00 BST to 20:00 BST, she added.

But she said: "We do ask for visitors' co-operation during the trial to extend visiting as our doctors and nurses will need to continue to provide care and treatment and it may be necessary for visitors to temporarily step out while this is done."

The trial scheme is due to run until the end of May, with a decision on whether to change the visiting times permanently to be made soon after.