Due to the significant increase in COVID-19 cases we have made the extremely difficult decision to temporarily suspend visiting to adult inpatient wards within County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, effective immediately.
Restricting visiting is not an easy decision, but we need to act to help protect our patients and our workforce.
We very much recognise the many benefits visitors can bring to a patient's care and wellbeing; but we must also maintain our duty of care to protect our own people and all patients by minimising the risk of the spread of infection. We know this is very difficult for loved ones. We have iPads available on our wards so patients can be visited virtually and messages and photographs can also be shared through our popular 'Stay in Touch' scheme.
We do have some exceptions to visiting restrictions in place which are listed below:
Visitors:
We will continue to monitor and consider this position to look at the possible, safe reintroduction of visiting and how this would be managed. Current restrictions will remain in place while community prevalence, hospital admissions and outbreaks remain high. Please be kind to our colleagues when they are making arrangements with you, they are following our guidelines to help protect all patients.
'The treatment I have received from all the staff has been excellent and could you extend my thanks to them all. A very thankful and relieved patient'.
Patient, Dermatology Outpatients Department, University Hospital of North Durham