NHS Lanarkshire is reintroducing visiting across hospitals following updated Scottish Government guidance.

The new arrangements will come into effect from Monday 26 April 2021.

NHS Lanarkshire nurse director Susan Friel said: “From Monday, every patient in our hospital wards will be able to benefit from support and contact with at least one named person of their choosing during their hospital stay, regardless of which level in the strategic framework Lanarkshire is in.

“The named person will be able to have close contact with their loved ones, such as holding hands. This will provide those patients in hospital with the vital support they need from family, carers or friends.

“Visiting is by appointment only and visitors should contact the ward to arrange a time to visit.

“In some cases, the person providing support visits may need to be accompanied by another person, for example a child visiting a parent or sibling, or a frail elderly person who cannot attend the hospital independently. The named person providing support can also be changed.

“Anyone with questions about visiting arrangements should speak to the nurse in charge of the ward.”

Restrictions have been in place in NHS Lanarkshire’s hospitals to protect patients and staff and prevent the spread of coronavirus.

However, essential hospital visits for a birth partner, a person receiving end-of-life care, supporting someone with mental health issues and accompanying a child in hospital have continued to be supported throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

The updated Scottish Government guidance reminds us all that Covid-19 is still with us and can be transmitted easily. To reduce risks, careful attention to infection prevention control (IPC) measures still need to be maintained while visiting loved ones in hospital.

Susan added: “While visitors can have close contact with their loved one, they are reminded to adhere to physical distancing in communal areas of the hospital, wear face coverings and frequently wash their hands when entering and leaving clinical areas.

“In the event of an outbreak, NHS Lanarkshire’s infection prevention and control team may make the decision to limit family and carer support to essential visiting only. Any decision will be made based on each individual case with the safety of patients and staff of paramount importance.”

The following measures should be put in place to manage visiting safely and minimise risk:

• Patients in hospitals will be able to choose a named person to visit them
• The ‘named person’, or visitor should contact the ward to arrange an appointment time
• No visits should take place if the visitor has symptoms of Covid-19, or is quarantining because they have had contact with a person with Covid-19
• Physical distancing must be observed in all communal areas of the hospital
• Face coverings must be worn, and existing hand hygiene measures will continue.
• Movement around other areas must be limited as much as possible and communal gatherings in public areas of the hospital must be avoided.

The Scottish Government also announced that universal lateral flow testing will be available for anyone in Scotland from April 26.

Visitors to hospitals may want to take advantage of this as an additional mitigating measure.

Information on how to order tests is available on the Scottish Government’s website or tests can be collected from Covid testing centres in the afternoon or early evening.

The Scottish Government propose further relaxing of visiting restrictions if Covid-19 numbers continue to fall and this would see a further relaxation of hospital visiting as per level one of the current Scottish Government strategic framework.

This guidance has been reviewed in conjunction with Health Protection Scotland and Public Health Scotland and aligns with policies and recommendations in terms of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC).

The full updated national guidance is available here.