Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Visiting restrictions
In line with the Government's strict new rules announced on
Monday 23 March to help reduce the spread of infection, we
have suspended visiting to our hospitals with immediate
effect.
Exceptions can be made on compassionate grounds, including
vulnerable patients with dementia or learning disabilities,
patients with a key carer, patients receiving end-of-life care,
neonatal and labour wards and children's
services. These exceptions must be pre-arranged with
the matron or nurse in charge. Please strictly follow
hygiene and distancing advice, regularly washing your hands and
using alcohol gel.
You must not visit in any circumstances if you have a
new persistent cough or high temperature.
For more information and guidance on coronavirus, please
visit www.nhs.uk/coronavirus.
Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
Visitors to our children's wards are restricted to one
immediate family member or carer on the ward at any one
time, with a maximum of two agreed visitors in total. We
ask that siblings do not visit our children's wards.
Bristol Royal Infirmary emergency
department
Those coming to our emergency department at the Bristol Royal
Infirmary are asked to not come accompanied, with some exception at
the discretion of the nurse in charge or a consultant.
This will be reviewed on a case by case basis for the following
groups:
- 16/17 year old patients attending
- Vulnerable patients
- End-of-life patients
Where a visitor has been permitted, it will limited to one
person to accompany the patient, and they must be well and have no
Covid-19 symptoms.
Bristol Royal Hospital for Children emergency
department
Those coming into our children's emergency department can
be accompanied by a maximum of one family
member, friend or carer.
Appointments
If you have symptoms of coronavirus, you should not attend your
appointment. Visit www.nhs.uk/coronavirus for the latest
advice. If you need to cancel your appointment please call the
telephone number on your appointment letter.
Unless we have contacted you to cancel or change your
appointment, please attend as planned.
Some outpatient clinics may switch from face to face to
telephone or video conferencing. If this is suitable for your
appointment you will be contacted. Please note that telephone calls
may appear on your phone as an 'unknown' number: please answer as
this could be a member of staff trying to reach you.
Maternity services
If you are having your baby at St Michael's Hospital, please
view the current guidance for maternity
services.
Staying in touch with your loved ones
Understandably, there has been an increase in calls to our wards
as we put these visiting restrictions in place.
In order to get an update on your loved ones, please consider
calling their personal mobile phones and devices to stay in touch,
rather than call our wards directly. Free Wifi is available to
everyone in our hospitals so that patients can make phone or
video calls to their family and friends using apps including
Facetime, WhatsApp or Skype and mobile reception is available
across our site.
If you do need to call the ward for an update, please coordinate
as a family so that only one person calls to avoid long wait times
on ward phones.
Diabetes services during the coronavirus outbreak
The Sirona care & Health website has details of
services for people with diabetes, including how to contact the
diabetes community services for advice and guidance. The site also
contains resources with advice and guidance for
dealing with diabetes during the coronavirus outbreak.
Diabetes UK are also urging parents not to let coronavirus fears
stop them from seeking medical help if they're worried their child
is showing the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes.
Read their news story to find out more.
Thank you for helping us keep our patients,
staff and community safe.
Updated: 21/04/20
