Bolton Hospice Visitor Guidance Updated

Patients are now able to have all family and friends visit the Hospice, and we ask that families stagger their visiting.   

Due to Covid-19 we continue to maintain our infection prevention and control measures to ensure that our patients, staff and volunteers working within the Hospice are safe.

It is with high a degree of confidence that the use of face mask wearing within the healthcare settings of the Hospice are now rationalised to only being worn when visiting a patient with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 or other infection that can be spread by droplet or airborne route. The fluid resistant surgical masks (Type 2 FRSMs) must be discarded into the correct waste stream when leaving the clinical setting. 

For visitors who are attending the inpatient unit they are required to wear a mask if the patient  has suspected or confirmed respiratory infection including Covid-19 or if they have a respiratory infection, when entering the hospice building, and must wash their hands on leaving the room and remove the mask once outside the building.

Patients attending outpatients who have symptoms of possible respiratory infection must also wear a facemask on entering Wellbeing Hub and remove when left the department. Mask wearing is now a personal choice for visitors and staff and the Hospice continues to support colleagues and visitors whose personal choice it is to continue to wear a face mask in any setting.

Covid Positive Patients and Visiting:

If a patient is Covid Positive they are permitted to have visitors routinely to support their psychological wellbeing with no more than 2 visitors at a time and at their own risk.

If you are visiting a patient who has Covid-19 you will be required to put on a mask and will then be taken directly to the room by a member of staff. You are requested to remain in the room for the duration of your visit and clean your hands and then remove your mask once you have exited the building.

If the Hospice has an outbreak of Covid-19/other infectious condition, the infection prevention and control measures will be reviewed, including visitor numbers, to minimise the risk of further transmission.

During your visit, you will need to:

• Respect social distancing.
• Regularly wash your hands. There are hand sanitiser dispensers around the hospice you can use.

Please do not hesitate to speak with a member of staff if you have any queries.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding.