Visiting Guidance

We welcome visiting on our wards for the wellbeing of our patients. Please take a moment to read through the information below before visiting a friend or relative at our hospital.

Visiting times for most wards are 11am to 8pm, seven days a week.

Help us reduce the risk of infection: Please do not visit the hospital if you are unwell within the last 48 hours. This includes symptoms of COVID-19, sickness, diarrhoea, fever, sore throat, flu or norovirus. Please wash your hands with alcohol gel or with soap and warm water as you enter and leave the ward.

Work together with our staff: Please inform our staff of any additional needs your family member or friend may have and provide a ‘This is Me – My Care Passport’ if applicable. Please appoint a single family member or friend as a main contact for communication to help avoid duplication.

Co-ordinate your visit: We have a limited amount of space on our ward and around each patient’s bed and ask that there are only two visitors at any given time. Please speak to the nurse in charge if you would like to bring a child under the age of 12 to visit or visit outside of the suggested hours.

Meal times: We set aside time on the wards for meal times to create a quiet, relaxed atmosphere for patients. If you normally visit at mealtimes to help your relative or friend eat, we are happy for you to continue to do this. Please ask the nurse in charge how you can help.

Noise levels: Please be respectful of other patients and try to keep the noise levels low.

Flowers, plants and latex balloons are not allowed on wards for infection control and allergy reasons. Visitors are encouraged to bring other gifts like books, magazines and toiletries, but it’s important not to clutter the patient’s bed area.

Recognising and supporting carers: We recognises the vital role that carers play in the health and wellbeing of those they care for. Carers have a right, but not a duty, to continue to care whilst the person they care for is in hospital. If you would like a Carer Passport, please speak to the nurse in charge and they can arrange this for you.

Face masks: Masks are currently not mandatory in all clinical areas, but we follow infection prevention management guidance to keep vulnerable patients safe. Masks may be required in some areas to protect patients who have lowered immunity, and these areas will have notices on entrance doors to advise visitors. Our priority remains patient safety.

Photos and videos: Please be mindful of the privacy and dignity of our patients. Do not take photographs or videos of them without their permission. Be mindful of other patients who may be in the background of a photograph of someone you are visiting.

Smoking: Please be aware we are a smoke free site and smoking is not permitted anywhere on Trust property, including outside on our grounds. 

Different visiting arrangements apply for the following areas

Maternity
Partners are welcome on the unit at any time and are encouraged to stay overnight if the woman has a single room.

Siblings and all other visitors are welcome between 2pm and 7pm.

Special Care Baby Unit
Parents and carers are welcome to stay on the unit 24 hours a day.

Siblings are welcome between 8am and 8pm.

All other visitors (over 16 only) are welcome to join their parents and carers between 2pm and 7pm.

Kingfisher Ward
We encourage one parent or carer to stay with their child overnight and there are no restrictions on visiting times. 

Critical Care
Visitors are welcome between 1pm and 7pm.

Other ways to stay in touch

Video app for families of inpatients
Friends and family of inpatients can connect to their loved ones via video link. Simply download the free Lifesize app onto your own device (android or Apple). Both parties then enter a unique number and they are able to video call each other. It works on Wi-Fi and 3G/4G. We have a number of Trust iPads patients can use if they do not have their own device. 

Email service for families of inpatients
We have set up a dedicated email address for families, carers and friends of patients currently in hospital as another way of keeping in touch.

Families are invited to send messages to connected@dchft.nhs.uk and are asked to please indicate the ward, initials and date of birth of the person they are contacting in the subject box of the email. We will ensure their messages are delivered as soon as possible. If a patient is unable to read the letter themselves, we will ensure a member of the ward team will read the message to them.

Bringing food into hospital

The Trust has a legal obligation to comply with the requirements of the Food Safety Act 1990 and associated legislation relating to the composition, labelling, safety, handling, control and hygiene of food.

The patients’ meals we serve every day are carefully prepared and designed to offer patients a healthy balanced diet of set selected menus with a range of hot and cold food and drinks. Patients are encouraged to select a healthy and safe food choice with appropriate advice given where required by dieticians.

We therefore have an obligation to ensure that any foods brought into the hospitals are suitable and do not include any illicit or unauthorised items. This helps us to prevent or reduce the risk of infection, food poisoning and food borne illnesses and unwanted interaction with prescribed medication.

Any food brought in should be suitable for the dietary needs of the patient. Please help us to help patients by only bringing in food that contributes to a healthy balanced diet. Any advice regarding the suitability of foods can be obtained from the nurse in charge or dietician.

When bringing meals in for patients in hospital, it is important to follow these guidelines to ensure safety and suitability:

• Suitable food: Only bring food that is suitable for the patient’s dietary needs and does not include illicit or unauthorized items
• Food safety: Ensure that any food brought in is safe. Chilled foods should be stored in a cool bag with ice packs and discarded after 24 hours if not consumed
• Labelling: All food must be labelled with the patient’s name and date, and only sealed food from the manufacturer is allowed
• Storage: Hot foods must be kept above 63°C, and chilled foods should be stored at a constant temperature below 50°C
• Communication: Always inform the nursing staff about any food brought in, and they can check its suitability for the patient.

Patients and their visitors are not allowed to bring any of the following foods into the hospital wards:

• Cooked meats and meat products
• Fish paste and fish products
• Fresh or synthetic cream or cream products
• Shell eggs
• Nuts
• Take-away type meals
• Any alcoholic drinks.

Provided that the patient’s diet allows, the following items may be brought into hospital by the patient/relative/visitor:

• Pre-wrapped biscuits
• Fresh and dried fruit
• Bottled or canned drinks of a non-alcoholic nature
• Individual cartons of fresh fruit juice
• Yoghurts – to be refrigerated and labelled with date brought to hospital and patient’s name
• Sweets and chocolates
• Crisps, nuts, crackers
• Cereal bars e.g. Nutrigrain
• Individual pre-packed cakes e.g. muffins (no cream).