The rest of society might be opening up next week but COVID restrictions are set to remain in place at St Mary’s Hospital, meaning visitors will only be welcome in exceptional circumstances.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed that society will finally return to normal on Monday (19th July), with social distancing and face masks removed and changes to self-isolation.
Nationally, while cases are rising, the rate of hospitalisation is slowing due to the vaccine rollout and subsequently deaths are much lower than they have been.
Speaking at the Isle of Wight NHS Trust Board last Thursday, however, chief executive Maggie Oldham said they had had no indication from the Department for Health or NHS England that the very stringent infection control measures in place at St Mary’s and other medical buildings, would be lifted in any way.
Ms Oldham said an eye still needed to be kept on COVID, and that while there was a lot of hope in easing the restrictions, it was a challenge for herself and her colleagues across the health services.
She said:
“We are not envisaging seeing very much change here across our trust as a direct result of anything announced on the 19th.
“This risk around Covid has not gone away and we have to keep our guard up.
Article continues below this advertisement “We have done so well on the Island in the way we have kept safe the most vulnerable members of our community, the way we have been able to protect our staff and to continue to work.
“Everybody will agree, we cannot in the first instance, until we see what happens after the 19th, start to let our guard down.”
Restrictions still in place at the hospital limit visitors to patients meaning they will only be considered to enter in exceptional circumstances.
When attending an appointment at the hospital patients are also asked to attend alone if they can, all in aid of keeping patients and staff safe.
Chair of the trust board, Melloney Poole, said:
“Whatever happens we will absolutely put the infection control needs and safety of the hospital and its staff at the forefront of our minds. We will still maintain what we need to do on the hospital site, and all our sites.”
That’s very harsh for patients and relatives, can’t they just test visitors.
Wonder how many Covid infections are being treated in the hospital.
If a patient is extremely unwell then relatives are allowed in. Testing every visitor is time consuming and costly. Would visitors been willing to pay for this or is it something else you’d expect the NHS to fund ? Covid isn’t the only thing visitors bring in, remember norovirus, MRSA, clostridium ?
Surely a temperature check that’s being done at other hospitals, on entry, would be an indicator. As for paying I pay my taxes. Staff must be being tested regularly too
the NHS like things the way they are – they do not have to put up with the endless stream of snowflakes that have broken a nail and need an ambulance, as well as whiny relatives panicking over nothing.
they are unlikely to want to return to the pre covid pressures they felt and will do everything they can to maintain the current state of affairs.
The Covid dashboard shows that as of 29th June there are no patients being treated for Covid-19 at St Mary’s hospital.
as of 7th July – 103 cases of covid on island
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map/cases
so why has no manager in the hospital contacted nhs England too see if restrictions are too lift then?lazy sods.just want too stay doing the smallest amount possible.even an ms nurse appointment is again too be on the phone! .. i understand why for covid but ITS IN OCT FGS!.stop hiding behind covid now there’s no excuse anymore.noone even answers phone.no risk there if on oen
too many lame excuses now …get on with things
What terrible spelling!
Spot on well done At Mary’s. Hospitals can’t have people walking in and expecting to have full access to the entire place. COVID is still very much in the community. Exceptions are made for certain patients in certain circumstances. This is a sensible decision.
Why? Who is monitoring exactly what’s going on in St Marys? They need policing by an external agency, who knows how many Harold Shipman wannabees are operating at the moment.
Our NHS are doing an amazing job , throughout the whole of this pandemic they have been 100per cent committed to their job .
Look at the vaccine rollout….
And now they are protecting their patients ,people are complaining,……
What if one of your family or friends caught covid due to visitors?????
You would probably moan that they shouldn’t have let visitors in!!!!!!!
Think back to when we clapped the NHS and key worker’s…
They are still there and deserve respect….