CHANGES have been introduced to visiting rules at the Vale of Leven Hospital after Helensburgh and Lomond's move into Level 1 of Scotland's Covid rules framework.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde says patients at the Vale of Leven Hospital and Dumbarton Joint Hospital will, where possible, now "be able to benefit from support of at least two people from the same household at the same time, or from separate households, as long as physical distancing can still be maintained".

If not from the same household and physical distancing cannot be maintained, visits can take place separately. 

There is, however, no change to the visiting arrangements for people from Helensburgh and Lomond who are in hospitals in Glasgow or in other Level 2 areas.

The health board says that every patient in these areas, where possible, is able to have at least one visitor to enable family support while they are in hospital. 

Visiting guidance for all areas 

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde says: "We welcome support from family and friends in hospital; we know this is a vital support to patients, not least with nutrition, healing, recovery and overall quality of care.  

"However, we also need to make sure our patients, families and staff are as safe as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic, so visiting needs to continue to be carefully managed. 

"There may however be some circumstances where it is still not safe for a patient to have a visitor; if this is the case, we will tell you why and keep it under review where possible.  

"At present only family and friends chosen by the patient or their guardian, carer or power of attorney can visit.  If this is you, please contact the ward to arrange a visit in advance, so we can be sure our wards and hospital sites do not become overcrowded and allow everyone to follow the physical distancing rules."

A list of telephone numbers can be found for all wards and departments on the NHS GGC website

To help keep everyone safe, NHSGGC bosses  strongly recommend that all visitors have a Voluntary Lateral Flow Test prior to visiting and then undertaken twice per week for as long as you are the named visitor.  This is optional.

Information on how to order lateral flow tests is on the Scottish Government’s website or tests can be collected from Covid testing centres in the afternoon or early evening or from the asymptomatic test facilities across NHSGGC - these can be found here

If you do not wish to have a test or are not able to test this will not be an obstacle to a visit. 

When visiting the hospital please do not bring additional family and friends with you unless you are a carer accompanying a family member or a parent accompanying a child.  

When visiting the hospital, you must:   

·       Wash hands or use hand sanitiser when entering and leaving clinical areas 

·       Wear a face covering/mask at all times, unless you are exempt for this  

·       Respect social distancing measures at all times 

·       Take the stairs if possible to avoid congregating in left lobbies and communal areas 

·       Contact the ward to discuss arrangements before visiting 

You MUST NOT attend if you are unwell, if you are a household contact or have been otherwise informed that they are a close contact of a confirmed case of COVID-19 and have been advised to self-isolate or have to self-isolate for another reason (e.g. travel from a country requiring quarantine).  

Security 

Security arrangements are in place at all NHS GGC hospitals to ensure entry is restricted to people with authorisation for a visit only and to assist us to adhere to the guidelines. When you arrive at a hospital site, please explain to security staff that you are there to visit someone, and that it has been arranged with the ward in advance. 

Further information about the new visiting arrangements is available here.  

Virtual Visiting Service 

If you cannot visit in person, you can still use technology such as social media and phone calls to stay in touch. If you would like to arrange a 'virtual visit' (video call) with a friend or family member in an NHS GGC hospital please contact the ward directly or use the form available here and hospital staff will arrange with the ward for a call to be organised. 

All wards have iPads specially set up to enable 'virtual visits' (video call) allowing patients to see and talk to the people who matter to them using FaceTime, Skype, Zoom or NHS Near Me. 

Further information about this service is available here

Thank you  for your cooperation. We look forward to welcoming more family members and friends where possible back into our hospitals to support patients.