Visiting Information

Welcome to Nottingham University Hospitals

We know how important visiting is to patients and their loved ones. We constantly monitor and review our visiting policy in light of national guidance, cases of Covid-19 and other respiratory viruses in our hospitals and community.

Covid-19 and other respiratory viruses such as influenza remain a threat to vulnerable patients and therefore healthcare environments including our hospital are required to maintain some risk-assessed measures to balance the need to control spread of infections, keep our patients, staff and communities safe, and support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of our patients and their families.

As long as the ward you are visiting doesn’t have any active cases of transmissible infection (e.g. Covid-19, influenza or Norovirus) then visiting will be permitted. Each patient may have up to 2 visitors at the bedside.  The people visiting no longer need to be the same people every time.  

If you are attending an outpatient appointment, you can bring one adult to accompany you, if you wish, however patients who are able to attend alone please do so. 

Wearing a Surgical Hospital Face Mask While in our Hospitals

We are doing everything we can to protect our patients, visitors and staff against Covid-19. Maintaining your safety is a top priority to us while planning and providing your care and treatment. From June 2023, hospital surgical face masks are not compulsory in our hospitals for the majority of patients and visitors. Surgical face masks remain compulsory for anyone who is suspected of having, or confirmed as having, Covid- 19.

What we ask of you when you visit

What we ask of you when you visit

  • Visiting at NUH in general inpatient wards is between 11am-8pm. If you need to make arrangements out of this time please contact the ward directly. You will find the ward contact numbers here.
  • We encourage visitors to NUH as you are an important part of your loved ones care and recovery
  • You must not visit if you are unwell with cold/ flu like symptoms or vomiting and diarrhoea.  We therefore may ask questions to confirm you are not unwell at each visit.
  • Please go directly to the area you are visiting and avoid going to other areas of the hospital before your visit
  • Please use the nearest entrance to get to the ward you are visiting. See our campus maps here
  • Hospital facemasks. Mask wearing is now optional for staff and visitors in most areas of the hospital, unless there is confirmed or suspected COVID.

    Some limited areas will continue to require mask wearing due to the vulnerability of patients and include:

  • Clinical Haematology
  • Oncology
  • Renal (including dialysis)
  • Specialist Receiving Unit SRU
  • Cystic Fybrosis Unit

Please look out for the red signs.

Masks will continue to be provided to patients, visitors and staff who choose to wear a mask out of personal choice and if a patient being treated in any area of the hospital asks a member of staff to wear a mask because they feel vulnerable – the staff member will do so.  

Please continue to treat everyone who chooses to wear a facemask with respect.

  • Please wash your hands on arrival at the hospital, throughout your visit and when you leave or use the hand sanitiser provided
  • Please bring as few personal belongings with you as possible.
  • Please do not eat or drink whilst on our wards.
  • Please do not use the patient toilets.  Public facilities are available away from the wards and clinics.
  • Please do not wander around the ward or interact with other patients.
  • A visitor to our adult wards does not need to be the same throughout a patient's stay.
  • Please be aware that children under five are not routinely allowed to visit unless there are special circumstances. If you are unsure, please speak to the Ward Manager.

For patients who are on wards with active transmissible infections we are unable to permit face to face general visiting but all wards can help to facilitate virtual visiting.   

Where a patient may be coming towards the end of life or are critically ill in these areas with active transmissible infection, then please discuss with the nurse in charge to organise safe visiting,  we know that this is a very difficult time for you and your loved one and we will do everything we can to support you.

Compassionate Visiting

Compassionate Visiting

In addition to the above for general visiting, we are committed to continue supporting compassionate visiting, allowing more individualised visiting arrangements where required, for example a patient may:

  • Be critically ill or receiving end of life care,
  • Require carers to support with learning disabilities,
  • Require carers to support with dementia
  • Be receiving particularly difficult news.
  • Require assistance with their communication or to meet their health, emotional, religious or spiritual care needs
  • They are there to support through antenatal and scan attendances, induction of labour, during labour, as well as in the postnatal period

Emergency Department visiting

If you are a patient in our Emergency Department, you can have one adult accompany you. However, it is important to note that this will be reviewed if the department is crowded. If you can come alone, please do so.

Click here for more information and advice on our Emergency Department | NUH

Critical Care visiting

Please contact the department do discuss visiting arrangements.

Click here for more information for Adult Critical Care | NUH and Paediatric Critical Care Unit | NUH.