INPATIENTS at Gobowen’s Orthopaedic Hospital will be allowed a named visitor as new rules are introduced.

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) put a halt to visiting at the end of March in response to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Different rules applied for patients on end of life care plans or patients with other exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the ward manager.

But the change – which comes into effect from Saturday, July 18 – does not represent a return to business as normal, as visiting will still be heavily limited.

Chris Morris, interim director of nursing at RJAH, says the hospital has tried its best in recent months to make contact between patients and their families as widely-accessible as possible.

He said: “The stop we put on visiting four months ago was the right thing to do in order to protect our patients and our staff.

“But we know that being in hospital can be a worrying time for people, and not being able to see any of their family or loved ones has made it even harder.

“We’ve tried to help them with technology to allow virtual contact, but nothing beats being able to talk to someone face-to-face.

“We have been monitoring the situation very closely and feel that now is the right time to allow some visitors back on site.”

Patients in all the hospital’s orthopaedic wards, and on its medical rehabilitation ward, will be able to nominate one named visitor.

This will be the only person able to visit them during their stay at the hospital.

The named visitor will be able to book a slot via the ward clerk and will be able to stay for a maximum of one hour.

Similar rules apply for patients in the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries (MCSI), except that they will be able to nominate two named visitors who will be able to stay for up to two hours.

All visitors will be required to wear a face mask and will have their temperature checked upon arrival.

Mr Morris added: “We are only allowing one named visitor for now, and two for our patients on MCSI – who have often been with us for many weeks or even months and can be a long way from home.

“Visitors will be expected to undergo a temperature check and put on a face mask when they arrive at the Main Entrance, and to observe all social distancing guidelines.

“They will also need to leave their name, address and a contact number with the ward in case of any Covid-19 case that requires them to be contacted by the NHS Test and Trace team.

“We will continue to monitor the situation closely, and we hope people understand that we might have to close to visitors again if we see an increase in coronavirus cases, either within the community or within the hospital.

“Safety will always be our first priority.”

The changes are in line with guidance from NHS England and NHS Improvement, who are encouraging the gradual resumption of visiting in order that patients and visitors can see their families and loved ones.

Individual wards will be able to use their own discretion as to time slots they offer to visitors, though all appointments for the day must be concluded by 7pm to allow thorough cleaning to take place.

The changes do not apply to people attending for appointments in the Main Outpatients Department, who must continue to visit alone unless by prior agreement with the department.

This is due to space restrictions in the Outpatient Department which mean adequate social distancing could not be maintained if patients were accompanied.

People can find more information about the new visiting process, including how to book a slot if they are a named visitor, by going to www.rjah.nhs.uk/visiting

For more information on visiting a patient at RJAH, go to www.rjah.nhs.uk/visiting