Please do not to visit if you’re suffering or recovering from:
- a cold
- a cough
- a high temperature
- flu
- diarrhoea
- vomiting
Some of our wards may have outbreaks of Covid-19, Flu, RSV and Norovirus, please check before visiting. You must not visit if you are feeling unwell at all.
Reminder to all patients and visitors to our sites: please only bring what is necassary during your stay with us. Please do not bring valuables, jewellery or large sums of mioney into the hospital. We do our best to make sure our wards are safe and secure but we cannot accept liability for damaged, lost or stolen personal items.
Visitors guidance - Inpatients
In order to ensure the safety of our staff, patients and visitors, there will still be infection prevention measures in place.You are asked to sanitise your hands as you enter and leave the hospitals and the wards, some visitors will be asked to wear facemasks - please see below for guidance.
Visiting times for all adult inpatient units are:
| Hospital | Visiting hours |
|---|---|
|
For all hospital wards |
A maximum of 2 people may visit at a time and we ask all visitors to follow infection prevention measures. Use hand sanitiser before and after visiting a ward and please do not visit if you feel at all unwell.
- If you have had diarrhoea or vomiting, please do not come to any hospital or care facility until you have been clear of symptoms for 2 full days.
- If an outbreak of covid-19 occurs on a ward visitors will still be allowed but will be asked to wear facemasks and to use hand sanitisers.
- If an outbreak of diarrhoea or vomiting occurs the ward will be closed to visitors while the outbreak is managed.
- Outbreaks will be made clear on the ward hospital pages of our public website and your understanding and cooperation is appreciated.
Any exceptions to any of these visiting arrangements is at the discretion of the Nurse in Charge of the ward at the time – this includes for patients who are at the end of their life and those who require reasonable adjustments due to their condition.
This advice covers visiting to all our adult inpatient units at the Cumberland Infirmary, West Cumberland Hospital and all of our community hospitals.
Visiting guidance to maternity and paediatrics has not changed.
- birthing partners are able to visit maternity units
- parents or legal guardians are able to visit in the children’s unit
Please also consider other ways of keeping in touch with your family and friends, such as phone calls and video calls on tablets.
All patients in our hospitals have access to our free wifi so they can keep in touch with family and friends.
If you are dropping of belongings for someone in hospital please leave these with the volunteers at the West Cumberland Hospital or the Cumberland infirmary or with the reception of the community hosptials. Members of the public are not allowed to take belongings to the wards.
Attending Outpatient hospital appointments
In keeping with NHS England recommendations in outpatients, diagnostic settings and the emergency department, patients may be accompanied by one close family contact, or somebody important to the patient, to support the patient with complex/difficult decision making.
Partners of pregnant women across north Cumbria are now able to attend all antenatal scans taking place at West Cumberland Hospital, The Cumberland Infirmary and Penrith Birthing Centre. The latest guidance is on our maternity pages.
You should not visit any of our locations under any circumstance if you're unwell, especially if you have a high temperature or a new, persistent cough
We ask for your help in respecting these rules.
To prevent infection, we do not allow flowers on the wards or in clinical areas. If you’d like to bring a present for your friend or relative, here are a few suggestions:
- small healthy snacks
- fruit
- magazines
- books
When you visit someone in hospital, always clean your hands using soap and water before you enter and leave the room or ward. We also ask that you use the alcohol hand rubs whenever you enter or leave a different area of the hospital.
Please do not visit at meal times, as patients should be able to enjoy their meal in a quiet and relaxed atmosphere without interruptions. If you wish to help your relative or friend at meal times please arrange this with us.
We try to create a calm and restful environment to help our patients recover. Please help us to keep noise levels as low as possible and do not disturb other patients. Supervise children at all times and do not allow them to run around or climb on to beds. If you’re planning to bring young children, it would be helpful to speak to the nurse in charge first.
We’ll keep family members and next of kin informed about any information the patient would like them to know. We ask that you respect that no information can be given without the patient’s consent. If you feel that you have not been given enough information, or are unsure about anything, we’ll be happy to talk things through with you.
We might ask you to leave for a short time during your visit while we care for your friend or relative. We’ll tell you when you can return to the bedside.
Violence and aggression towards staff, patients or members of the public will not be tolerated in any of our hospitals. Assault is a crime, and we’ll seek the maximum legal penalties for anyone behaving in this way.
- do not sit on the patient's bed, as this can spread germs
- do not put your feet on the patient's bed
- do not touch the patient's wounds or any medical equipment they're attached to
- do not use the patients' toilets, use the hospital's public toilets
- do not share a patient's toiletries, tissues or hospital equipment with other patients
All our hospitals are smoke free sites. This means there’s no smoking allowed anywhere on the property. This includes outside entrances and in our car parks and grounds.
You can use e-cigarettes and vapes outside the hospital, if you stand 10 metres away from the building. If you’d like help to quit smoking, support is available. Visit nhs.uk/smokefree to find out more.
