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Last Updated: 02 November 2023

An update on visiting at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals

Visiting is no longer restricted to two hours, and visiting is no longer required to be booked by telephone. Please ensure that you visit during the normal ward visiting times. Please note that no more than two people should visit a patient at any given time.

More information and exceptions to visiting times.

Update to Infection Prevention and Control Guidance

As we enter the winter months, there is likely to be an increase in the number of respiratory viruses, including influenza and COVID, that are circulating in the community and in the number of patients being admitted to hospital with these infections.

In line with current national guidance provided by the UK Health Security Agency, there is no longer a mandatory requirement for visitors, patients and staff entering our hospitals to wear a face mask. For those who prefer to continue to wear a mask, fluid resistant surgical masks will be readily available at our main hospital entrances. Please do help yourself. If you cannot see any then please ask a member of staff on the ward/clinic that you are attending. In our clinical areas, such as wards, where our staff are caring for patients with respiratory infections, you may see staff will wear masks, along with other personal protective equipment, as necessary. They can advise you if you have any queries.

We continuously monitor the local situation, and should we see a significant increase in the number of respiratory infections in our hospitals, then we may revise our advice, as necessary.

We ask everyone to follow these basic infection prevention and control measures in our hospitals:

• Do not visit the hospital if you have the following symptoms:
  • New onset cough or an ongoing cough that is not improving
  • Raised temperature
  • Diarrhoea and/or vomiting
• If you do have these symptoms and visiting is essential, and cannot be delayed for a few days whilst you recover, e.g. the patient is very unwell / dying, then please telephone the ward concerned and ask to speak to the nurse-in-charge. We are always keen to support visiting in these situations.
• Practice good respiratory hygiene: cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing using a tissue or the inside of your elbow. Dispose of tissues immediately following use and clean your hands.
• Clean your hands on entering and leaving our clinical areas, e.g. wards, using the hand wash basins or alcohol hand sanitiser available inside each patient multi-bed bay and single rooms.
• Visitors are not routinely required to wear disposable gloves and plastic aprons; but should be worn if you are helping the patient with their personal hygiene care.

Thank you for your continued support in keeping our patients, staff and visitors safe.

David Fluck, Medical Director and Director of Infection Prevention and Control
Ellen Bull. Interim Chief Nurse
The Infection Prevention and Control Team

Visiting Hours

Please note that normal visiting hours are 2pm – 8pm.

• Visiting hours for Birch Acute Cardiac Unit (BACU) are 3-4:30pm and 6-8pm only. Only 2 visitors at a time and no children below 12 years old.
• Visiting in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is permitted from 1pm, with a recommended two hour slot (this is flexible). Please contact the unit to agree visiting as appropriate.
• If you are visiting a patient on Chestnut ward, please continue to ring the ward prior to your visit to arrange.
• In Maternity, please note that siblings are permitted to visit but no other children.

Please note that no more than two people should visit a patient at any given time.

Our vision is to be one of the best healthcare Trusts in the country.

One of our key objectives is to achieve the highest possible quality of care and treatment for our patients.

In this section, you can find out more about our care and support services as well as assistance for your visit.

Central to our vision is to provide high quality care for everyone. With the recent publication of the second Francis Report looking into the failings in care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, we are once again reminded of the responsibility we carry on behalf of our patients and the importance of working in a values-led, open and safe culture. As you might expect, we have spent time with staff reflecting on the findings of this landmark report, working together to assure ourselves that something on that scale could never happen here. From the Board to the front line we continue to actively encourage, discuss and collect feedback using what we hear to make the right improvements for patients. And with the introduction of the new Friends and Family Test from April, we look forward to having an even richer source of feedback down to ward level.

We have been particularly encouraged with our results from the national patient survey, which show good improvements for the third year running, especially in how patients feel about nursing care. Given that the quality of nursing care has also been in the spotlight following the Francis Report, it is particularly reassuring for our patients and their families to know that our nurses are doing a good job.

We have also been working hard to improve the experience of patients who come to our hospitals as an emergency. With the help of the Department of Health’s Emergency Care Intensive Support Team, we have put in place a number of changes to help the flow of patients through our hospitals. Nationally this winter has seen hospitals up and down the country struggle to maintain the four hour waiting target. Within this context we are particularly encouraged that our performance has improved and that we met this important quality target for most of the financial year.

Caroline Warner Chair

Julie Smith Chief Executive