Local Hospitals Update Advice to Patients and Visitors
Wards closed apart from exceptional circumstances as 144 now test positive in H&F
Our two local hospital trusts have both updated their information to the public, after announcing last week that they had closed their wards to visitors in light of the current crisis.
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which includes Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in Fulham Road and West Middlesex University Hospital in Isleworth, has updated an announcement made last week, saying it had closed its wards.
It has added: "To help prevent the spread of infection, we are not currently allowing visitors in our hospitals except under very exceptional circumstances. Visitors will only be considered in exceptional circumstances, including:
for a patient at end of life
one regular carer for a patient with additional needs, such as a patient with dementia
one parent/guardian for a child
one birth partner."
The hospital also says: " NHS staff are working flat out to cope with an unprecedented health emergency. We need the public to help us by following our advice and using NHS services in the right way.
" You must follow Government advice on hand-washing and stay at home unless you need to go out for essential reasons. If you have to leave your home, keep at least one metre, and ideally two metres, away from other people.
" You can read the latest public health advice for you and your family here.
" We want to update you about changes we have had to make to NHS services, to help us deal with the coronavirus pandemic. These temporary changes will help us to focus all our efforts and resources in the best way to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak.
"Our hospitals are focused on treating people who have COVID-19. Do not go to hospital if you think you have COVID-19 symptoms. You should always use the 111 online service for advice. If you cannot get online, telephone 111. You should only call an ambulance in what you think is a life-threatening situation.
" Operations and surgery that are not clinically urgent or emergencies are being delayed as we need our staff to focus on dealing with the pandemic. We are sorry we have delayed treatment and hope to return to business as usual as soon as possible.
" Our hospitals have dedicated areas for treating COVID-19 patients, keeping them separate from other patients. The hospitals are working closely together so that if one hospital has a high number of cases, patients needing a bed may be transferred to another local hospital."
" Emergency care for patients whose condition is serious but not related to COVID-19 will continue as normal. In a life threatening emergency you should call 999 as usual.
"During this period, we will not be offering outpatient appointments except in the most urgent cases. The hospital will contact patients and some follow-up appointments may be by telephone. "
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which includes five local hospitals - Charing Cross, Hammersmith, Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea, St Mary's and the Western Eye, says: " To help prevent the spread of infection, we’re really sorry that we are not currently allowing visitors in our hospitals.
" This has been a difficult decision to make but we no longer feel we can prevent the risk of spreading the infection if we continue to allow visitors to our hospitals."
The trust adds that visitors will only be considered in exceptional circumstances, including:
for a patient at end of life
one regular carer for a patient with additional needs, such as a patient with dementia
one parent/guardian for a child
one birth partner
However the trust adds: " We will do our best to be flexible if there are exceptional circumstances, such as patients who need carers. Please speak to the nurse in charge if you have any concerns. "
Any visitors who are allowed must:
not come to the hospital if you are feeling unwell, including cold or flu symptoms
wash or gel your hands as soon as you enter a ward or unit
follow the additional measures that will be requested by our staff
if you are visiting a patient with an infection.
patients can have only one visitor per day
no children are allowed
Concerning outpatient appointments, the trust says: "Unless we have asked you to come into hospital, all face-to-face outpatient appointments are being replaced by telephone or video consultations.
"Unless we have asked you to come into hospital – or postponed your appointment – you will receive:
- a call from your doctor offering you a telephone consultation if clinically possible. Your doctor will aim to call you within an hour of your scheduled appointment time
- If you miss the telephone call, or are not able to answer the call, your doctor will review your notes, write a letter to you and your GP and make follow up arrangements as necessary
- some of our services are now offering video consultations. If this applies to your appointment further details of how to access our video consultation portal will be issued to you via text message
"Unless we have asked you to come into hospital, all non-urgent planned surgery and procedures, like endoscopy and scans, are postponed. We will be in touch to rebook your appointment.
"We are also working with NHS partners and the independent sector to move some urgent surgery and procedures to other providers.
"We will contact you directly if you need to come into hospital or if we need to move your surgery or procedure to a different provider.
"Unless we have asked you to come into hospital, you will receive a call from your doctor offering you a telephone consultation if clinically possible. Your doctor will aim to call you within an hour of your scheduled appointment time
" If you miss the telephone call, or are not able to answer the call, your doctor will review your notes, write a letter to you and your GP and make follow up arrangements as necessary."
These updates come as the latest figures from Public Health England, published on Sunday 29 March, showed that the number of people in Hammersmith & Fulham who have tested positive for COVID-19 has now risen to 144. The figures are updated daily here
These latest figures show that the national total of people testing positive has now risen to 16,487 in England and 19,522 cases in the UK, though as those who ae self-isolating with mild symptoms are not currently being tested, the actual total may be many times that.
1,228 people in the UK have sadly died of COVID-19.
You can find the latest information and advice from Public Health England here.
March 30, 2020