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Small Changes To Visitor Restrictions At St Mary's Hospital

There are some small changes to visitor restrictions at St Mary's Hospital from today (Monday).

For more than 20 months, visiting restrictions have been in place, with some exemptions - such as for birth partners, those with additional needs such as dementia and people receiving end of life care, due to the COVID pandemic.

From today, however, the visitor policy is changing slightly, meaning patients on certain wards that have been in hospital for more than seven days, will be permitted one designated visitor for a pre-booked hour each day between 10am and 8pm.

The changes come after concerns were raised about the affect of restrictions on the mental health of patients, as Isle of Wight Radio previously reported.

The wards that can welcome visitors are:

  • Compton
  • Luccombe
  • St. Helens
  • Stroke Unit

Juliet Pearce, Director of Nursing, said:

"Keeping our patients safe is our top priority and our visiting restrictions have been important in ensuring those receiving hospital treatment are not put at risk.

“After careful consideration, for our less vulnerable patients who have been in our care for over a week, we know seeing a loved one will be a boost that could support their recovery.

"Our visitor policy is under regular review and we look forward to welcoming more visitors as the NHS continues to deliver its biggest ever vaccination programme."

For full details of the visitor policy and information on how to book seeing a loved one, visit: www.iow.nhs.uk/visiting

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