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Christmas Day and Boxing Day visiting
With Covid-19 cases still high in our community and the uncertainty around the new variant, Omicron, we are having to restrict visitors to our patients.
However, on Christmas Day (Saturday, 25 December) and Boxing Day (Sunday, 26 December) we will be allowing one named visitor to visit one patient for up to an hour on each of these days.
You must do a lateral flow test before you arrive at the hospital and you must not visit if the result is positive or you are feeling unwell in any way.
Please phone the ward your loved one is staying on to book your visit. You can find ward telephone numbers by visiting this page.
After Boxing Day, we will be reverting back to no visiting.
The only exceptions will be for maternity; parents of child inpatients; end-of-life patients and those with a learning disability, dementia, or other mental health needs.
We do not take these decisions lightly. We know restricting visiting impacts hugely on patients and their loved ones, but we do need to protect those in our care and our staff. We are reviewing these measures regularly and will lift the restrictions as soon as it’s safe to do so.
For more information about visiting the hospital, please visit this page.
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust chief nurse Sue Wilkinson said: "We have not taken this decision lightly, as we know how much patients and relatives value visiting.
"Our priority, however, has to be keeping those vulnerable patients in our care as safe as possible, and with the high levels of COVID-19 cases in the county currently that means reducing the number of people coming into our hospitals.
"Relatives can use our dedicated helpline and video calling services to keep in touch with loved ones while they are in our care."
Relatives of West Suffolk patients can keep updated on loved ones via a dedicated clinical helpline, by calling 01284 713155 between 10am and 6pm, seven days a week.
West Suffolk Hospital also offers a free video calling service for patients without their own digital devices, between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday.
Sue added: "We would like to thank everyone in advance for their patience, support and understanding. We will keep the situation under close review and will make changes as quickly and as safely as we can."
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