Essential visiting only reintroduced at Scots hospital as Covid cases rise

Essential visiting only has been reintroduced at a Scots hospital due to rising coronavirus cases. Patients at University Hospital Wishaw will not be allowed visitors and exceptions will only be made for patients who would badly suffer by not seeing a family member.

There are no changes to visiting in the mental health and maternity wards. Both University Hospital Monklands and University Hospital Hairmyres will continue to offer one visit per day, from one person, but this will be monitored and reviewed daily.Bosses at NHS Lanarkshire say the decision was not taken lightly but has been made to limit the number of people coming into the hospital as the experience increased pressure from Covid-19.NHS Lanarkshire Executive Director of NMAHPs, Eddie Docherty, said: “We understand that patients in hospital are having a challenging time and want to have their family and friends around them for support.“Unfortunately, it is our priority to protect our patients and staff as much as is possible and this is why we have made the difficult decision to limit visiting at this time."However, this is being review daily and as soon as it is safe to do so, we will be expanding visiting by prioritising access for those closest to the patient.“We recognise that essential visits, which only permit visits to patients where not seeing a family member would cause particular distress or suffering, is not ideal but necessary for the time being.“Anyone with questions about visiting arrangements should speak to the nurse in charge of the ward.“We would also strongly encourage all essential visitors to carry out a Lateral Flow Test prior to visiting their loved one.