Visitors at our hospitals

It is important to us that patients are able to be visited by their loved ones when in all our hospital settings. As such and as per national guidance, we have made changes to make sure that patients attending our hospital, either as an inpatient or outpatient, may be accompanied by a family member, carer, friend or advocate should they require one. We do still need to be mindful that some infection control precautions may be necessary, to not only protect patients but to also protect our staff, keeping them well so they can continue to provide safe and essential quality patient care.

Bedfordshire Hospitals is a smoke/vape free hospital and staff, patients and visitors are not allowed to smoke on hospital grounds.

Attending our Hospitals

Please do not visit if you are feeling unwell with symptoms of diarrhoea, vomiting, cold or flu like symptoms.

There is no longer a requirement for members of staff, patients or the public to wear face masks at all times in clinical areas.

Enhanced infection control precautions will apply in any areas experiencing an infection outbreak. The Infection Prevention and Control Team will advise when this is required.

• Staff are generally not required to wear facemasks in non-clinical areas unless this is their personal preference or there are specific issues raised by a risk assessment.
• Clean your hands when entering the hospital, wards or departments with the hand sanitizers available. You should also do the same when leaving and follow all other guidance given by staff.

Emergency Departments

We appreciate that attending the emergency department can be a stressful and worrying time for those who feel very unwell, and as such you may wish to bring someone with you for physical and emotional support. Please be mindful that the emergency department can become very busy, therefore please only bring a maximum of 1 person with you to help us manage overcrowding.

Those attending with you may be asked to leave if the area becomes too busy, or if natural ventilation does not appear to be effectively moving air through the space.

Due to the high numbers of attendances in our Emergency Department at the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital site, it is likely that you may have to queue outside.

Adult inpatient wards

The following principles apply:

• Two visitors are welcomed between 8am and 10pm daily.
• The nurse in charge will have the right to reduce this to one visitor at a time when required to avoid overcrowding.
• Children between 8 -16 years old can visit and should be supervised by an adult when visiting adult wards. Children should remain by the patient’s bedside throughout the visit and must not be allowed access to other patients or hospital equipment.
• Children under the age of 8 may visit following discussion with the nurse/midwife in charge. Permission should be given before entering the ward/department.
• Our ward staff will support all visitors by providing instructions on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when required.

Arrangements for supporting visiting in exceptional circumstances should be facilitated, this includes but not limited to:

• If the patient is receiving End Of Life Care.
• If the patient has dementia, learning disabilities or a mental health illness and needs a carer/support present.
• If a mother is breastfeeding as an inpatient.

The Trust supports John’s Campaign. This means carers or family members who care for someone with dementia can visit anytime. The ward can provide carers’ packs that contain lanyards that help identify you as a carer.

Please speak to the ward manager or matron if there are any concerns with exceptional visiting.

Specialist areas such as Critical Care have separate visiting arrangements, please speak to the nurse in charge for further details.

Carers

We welcome all carers at Bedfordshire Hospitals, if you normally care for someone at home and they are admitted to hospital. Please visit our Patient Experience Hub, which is open from 8am – 4pm Monday – Friday. We will provide you with a carers’ pack that contains a carer lanyard that will make it easy to identify you in the hospital. Carer packs are also available on the wards/departments.

We want to support all carers to feel part of the team. You can provide valuable information about the person you care for and are best placed to advocate for them. Other relevant carer information is also available in our Patient Experience Hub.

Maternity

Two birthing partners per woman/birthing person are welcome on our Delivery Suites and Midwifery Led Birthing Units (MLBU).

One partner can accompany a pregnant woman/person for the entirety of their antenatal appointments.

Visiting times for Orchard Maternity Ward at Bedford Hospital and Ward 33 at the L&D are as follows:

• 9am to 9pm – birth partner or other adult support person.
• 3pm to 8pm – two adult visitors per woman/birthing person (this includes the birth partner and one other – both need to stay the same) as well as siblings.
• Siblings under 16 years must be supervised by an accompanying adult visitor and remain by the woman’s/person’s bedside throughout the visiting time.
• The midwife in charge will have the right to reduce the number of visitors when required to avoid overcrowding.

There is no longer a requirement for everyone to wear facemasks within maternity on our sites. However, if you still choose to wear a facemask, you should feel comfortable to continue to do so.

Overnight visiting in Maternity

Having the opportunity to have a partner / companion with you throughout the night to provide practical support with your baby is a source of comfort and provides the family a chance to bond. One birth partner per woman / person may stay overnight at our maternity units.

This includes:

• Orchard Ward, Bedford Hospital
• Ward 32, L&D
• Ward 33, L&D

For those women / birthing people who choose not to have their birth partner stay with them overnight, we will aim to provide a bay where there will be no partners staying overnight.

If you are staying overnight, you will need to agree to the conditions which will be shared with you on the ward.

Please note that parking overnight in the hospital grounds is not free. Normal parking charges apply when you are here. We would advise that you park your car outside the hospital in nearby parking spaces/meters if staying overnight.

Children’s 

Two named parents/carers per child or young person can attend the unit/ward at any time. The nurse/reception staff will need to be made aware of who these two people are.

One parent may stay on the ward overnight.

Neonatal Units/NICU

The following principles apply:

• Only two visitors per baby at their cot at a time. One visitor has to be the parent/guardian but the other can be a sibling or family member.
• Visiting hours are between 12pm and 8pm daily.
• Two parents/guardians may stay with their baby overnight.
• Our ward staff will support all visitors by providing instructions on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when required.

Outpatients

Patients can be accompanied for outpatient appointment by a family member, friend or carer.