Visiting Information

Visiting times at the Queen’s Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital have been extended during the holy month of Ramadan.

The first day of Ramadan began this week and will end around Tuesday 9 April 2024, followed by the celebration of Eid Al-Fitr.

During this time, people will be able to visit loved ones on hospital wards until 10pm (extended from 8pm) until the end of Ramadan (Wednesday 10 April).

This will allow people enough time to visit following Iftar, the meal eaten by Muslims to break their fast.

Zaynab Asghar from the Nottingham Muslim Women's Network welcomed the move, saying: “We extend warm congratulations to Nottingham University Hospitals for their commendable decision to extend visiting times during the holy month of Ramadan. This thoughtful gesture exemplifies the Trust’s steadfast commitment to cultural inclusivity, ensuring that diverse communities are supported during significant religious observances."

Amnah Shah, Freedom to Speak Up Guardian at NUH and Head of Speaking Up with the National NHS Muslim Network added: “Ramadan is centred around the family and this extended provision is very welcomed. It will enable and support our Muslim communities in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to observe their religious and spiritual obligations and allow time to visit loved ones after Iftar and before or after evening Taraweeh Prayers at the Mosque.”

The same rules and restrictions will apply to the number of people per bed, and all visitors are asked to be respectful of patients around them, especially later in the evening.

NUH is also asking people to help them protect patients and staff by avoiding coming into hospital if they have any symptoms of illness. This includes any symptoms of COVID-19, flu and colds as well as symptoms of vomiting or diarrhoea.

Michelle Rhodes, Chief Nurse at NUH, said: “We know how important it is for the recovery and wellbeing of our patients to have visitors during their time in hospital. We also know that it can be challenging for those who are fasting to visit loved ones in hospital during our normal visiting hours, so we are pleased to support our communities and patients by extending our visiting hours during Ramadan to 10pm.”

We are beginning to see an increase in Flu and Covid-19 throughout our hospitals and expect to see these rise over the next two weeks. In order to help protect our patients, staff and visitors and reduce the risk of catching and spreading the viruses, we are now asking people who are visiting our acute admission areas to help protect each other by wearing surgical facemasks.

These include;

• The Emergency Department
• B3
• Acute Respiratory Care Unit
• D57 and level 1
• C4
• C5
• Ambulatory Care Unit
• Papplewick Ward
• Renal Assessment Unit
• Patience 2
• Burns Unit
• Children’s Assessment Unit
• Critical care
• Surgial Treatment Unit
• C31
• Neuro Spinal Assessment Unit
• Frailty Admission & Discharge Unit

Some areas with clinically vulnerable patients or areas with higher numbers of respiratory viruses have continued to wear masks, reducing risks of cross infection. These areas include our surgical reception unit, clinical haematology, renal and oncology.  

We know that surgical facemasks can be effective at reducing ongoing transmission so we ask that everyone wears them when there is a poster indicating that you should do so.

We anticipate that this will be for a limited period until cases have peaked and are reducing in hospital and the wider community.

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

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

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

Please contact the department do discuss visiting arrangements.

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

Controlling infections

We can all play our part to help limit and prevent the spread of infection. 

If you are visiting our hospitals for treatment or to see a loved one please take a look at the advice below.

 

Patients

• If you have not seen our staff clean their hands before they touch you please just say: "Have you cleaned your hands?"
• Always wash your hands after going to the toilet and before touching food
• Please use the alcohol gel provided at the entrances to wards and departments
• Tell a member of staff if you notice anywhere that has not been cleaned properly such as the ward, bathrooms or toilets
• If you have a drip, drain or catheter that becomes sore please check with your nurse if it needs changing
• Please take the whole course of any antibiotic medicines you are given
• You should wash your hair and take a bath or shower as usual at home before coming in for surgery
• If you have diarrhoea please tell the nursing staff

 

Visitors

• Please do not visit the hospital if you are unwell with cold-like symptoms or diarrhoea and vomiting symptoms
• Please do not sit on the bed. If there are no chairs available please ask a member of staff to provide you with one
• Any children visiting must be supervised all the time, so that they do not touch equipment or dressings
• Make sure you wash your hands on the ward or use alcohol gel before and after visiting a patient in hospital, and follow advice on notices of side room doors
• Check how many visitors are allowed in at any one time

 

If you have any concerns or questions about cleanliness or infection control please speak to the nurse-in-charge on the ward or contact our infection prevention and control teams on:

Tel: 0115 9249924
Ext: 83866 (QMC) or 55578 (City Hospital)