Restrictions remain at Bedford Hospital as Covid cases soar

Anyone attending appointments should still wear a mask
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Bedford Hospital has decided not to lift restrictions despite Covid rules being lifted in England yesterday (Monday).

In a statement on Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's website it said: "The trust has decided it is currently not safe to lift all restrictions at our hospitals."

Anyone attending the hospital will have to wear a face mask / covering, observe social distancing, wash their hands thoroughly for 20 seconds when entering and leaving, as well as attend alone wherever possible.

Bedford HospitalBedford Hospital
Bedford Hospital

The statement added: "On average, 25 Covid positive patients attend our emergency departments each day. All during a time when we are seeing record demand for emergency care, especially for this time of year.

"As such, we are unable to relax any restrictions within these areas to limit the spread of the virus and maintain the health and safety of our staff and patients."

Which means visitors to the emergency department will only be permitted under the following circumstances:

To spend time with a patient who is in the final moments of their life

To accompany a vulnerable patient with a mental health issue, dementia, a learning disability or autism

To assist with patients’ communication or provide interpretation

Only one parent or carer may accompany a child or young person

On adult inpatient wards, each patient will be allowed one visit for one hour, once a day.

Multiple single visits each day from different people will not be permitted and children are still unable to accompany adults visiting on our adult inpatient wards.

Visiting can be booked between 2pm and 8pm.

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