Children under 12 are being banned from visiting patients in nine hospitals as part of a raft of restrictions to fight the rate of norovirus.
Northumbria Healthcare said the restrictions should stop the illness from reaching “critical numbers”. In January, wards were closed completely to stop visitors from catching the virus.
Health chiefs said that the stomach bug is “more than just unpleasant” and can be deadly to patients that are vulnerable.
The restrictions have been in place since Friday, the restrictions are:
- No visiting children under 12 at any time
- Visiting is restricted on all inpatient wards at all sites to between 14:00 to 15:00 and 18:30 to 19:30
- In birthing centre and maternity units – outside of the hours above – visiting is restricted to birthing partners only
- In paediatrics – outside of the hours above – visiting is restricted to parents or legal guardians only
- Only one visitor per patient is permitted in the emergency department or ambulatory care at any time
- No more than two visitors per patient on any ward at any time
Marion Dickson, the trust’s interim executive director of nursing and midwifery, said: “This is a decision we have taken after very careful consideration and is based on hard lessons learned from last year.
“Absolutely no-one wants to stop people seeing their loved ones when they are in hospital, we know, often first-hand, how important it is.
“However, the safety of our patients is our overriding priority.”
The nine hospitals affected are:
- Alnwick Infirmary
- Berwick Infirmary
- Blyth Community Hospital
- Haltwhistle War Memorial Hospital
- Hexham General Hospital
- North Tyneside General Hospital
- The Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital
- The Whalton Unit
- Wansbeck General Hospital
