Visitor Guidance

Patients will be asked to identify their five named visitors and advise the clinical teams. Nominated visitors must be an immediate family member (spouse/partner/parent/child or other personal support) and only two of these can visit the patient at any one time. Whilst we recognise the distress this may cause, please do not attempt to come to the hospice if you are not the nominated visitor as this will divert our staff from delivering care to our patients.

Visitors cannot be rotated unless they develop symptoms of COVID-19 and are required to self-isolate, and any change in visitor must be agreed with the Nurse-in-Charge.

Every time a visitor attends the hospice they will be asked to complete a Covid-19 Screening Questionnaire to help us identify if there are any reasons why they should not be visiting, i.e. COVID-19 symptoms or if they are required to isolate in accordance with Public Health England guidance, and names and contact details will be checked, recorded and stored in support of infection prevention and control. Personal information will be held by Bolton Hospice for a period of 21 days, following which it will be destroyed in accordance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Visitor Testing

Bolton Hospice requires patient visitors to test weekly with a Lateral Flow Test, to support safe visits with loved ones. If you are accompanying the person on the day of their admission, the test will be offered and completed when you attend the hospice. Anyone over the age of 11 years who can provide proof of negative lateral flow test result such as one carried out at work or school, can show their email/text message or a screenshot of this as confirmation and will be required to provide evidence of each test result to continue to be issued with a 7 day visitor’s pass. Passes will be valid from the date of the test taken not the date of the visit to the hospice.  

Where individuals need to complete a test at the hospice we will ask you to complete the swabbing yourself, supervised by a member of staff. You will not be able to wait in the building for your results and must return to your car. If you have travelled by public transport then please speak with the tester who will discuss alternative options.  If you have a negative test result, or can provide relevant exemption evidence, a 7 day visitor’s pass will be issued.

If a patient has been confirmed as positive for COVID-19, then unfortunately no visitors will be permitted for a period of 10 days. This time period is different to members of the public in the community, following guidance from Infection Prevention and Control. The only exceptional circumstance for visiting will be if the patient is entering the last days and hours of life.  At this time, if possible, we will offer an opportunity for the patient’s nominated visitors to visit the hospice to say goodbye.

Anyone showing any symptoms of COVID-19 should not visit. This is essential for infection prevention and control that if visitors display symptoms of COVID-19 they will be asked to leave, self-isolate at home and organise a test; and self-isolate until the results of the test are received, in line with Government Guidance. All named visitors must self-isolate following the death of a patient with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, as per isolation guidelines detailed above.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding at this challenging time.