Weston General Hospital has issued guidance on when people can visit during its temporary closure to new patients.
The hospital confirmed yesterday (May 25) it has “temporarily stopped accepting new patients”, even at its A&E department, due to a “high number of patients with coronavirus”.
A leaked memo from yesterday reportedly showed 64 inpatients are Covid-19 positive and 40 per cent of staff tested have the virus.
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Trust has now released more details on how the closure will work.
It says visiting has been suspended but exceptions can be made on compassionate grounds.
These include vulnerable patients with dementia or learning disabilities, patients with a key carer, patients receiving end-of-life care and children's services.
“These exceptions must be pre-arranged with the matron or nurse in charge of each ward,” the guidance adds.
“We are contacting patients who have planned appointments at Weston General Hospital to arrange a new date.
“In the meantime, if you have any questions please call the number on your appointment letter.”
If you have not got a contact name and telephone number for the person or department you need to contact, you should call the hospital switchboard on 01934 636363.
The trust has told relatives of patients: “If you would like to contact 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 co-ordinate as a family so that only one person calls to avoid long wait times on ward phones.”
According to yesterday’s leaked memo, Weston General patients with positive tests rose from 30 to 64 during the past week.
"Discussions at CCG, regional and national level have all concluded that there is no mitigation that can be put in place to safely manage and maintain operations at Weston,” it read.
"Weston has confirmed use of COVID-19 pods. This will be alongside where we will set up the field hospital.”
A spokesman for the trust clarified the "field hospital" mentioned in the message is a "receiving area on-site where walk-in patients will be clinically assessed before being referred to the appropriate service”.
This will effectively replace the indoor triage and reception area for A&E.
The trust is yet to answer a question from Bristol Live about why the coronavirus patients at Weston General had not been transferred to the Nightingale Hospital in north Bristol, which was built and opened specifically to take coronavirus patients to relieve the burden on South West hospitals.
A statement from the trust reads: "Weston General Hospital will temporarily stop accepting new patients, including into its A&E department, as of 8am today.
"This is a precautionary measure in order to maintain the safety of staff and patients in response to the high number of patients with coronavirus in the hospital."
"The decision to take this step has been clinically-led, and is supported by partners across the wider Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) health and care system.
"Arrangements are in place for new patients to continue to have access to treatment and care in other appropriate healthcare settings in the area should they need it."
For more information click here.
