Visiting patients in hospital
We understand that visiting friends and relatives in hospital is important to you and also for the the patient. Allowing visitors into the ward is at the discretion of the Ward Manager on duty and may change without prior notice and you may be refused entry or asked to leave.
If you would like to visit outside of standard visiting hours please contact the ward and speak to the nurse in charge, ( End of life care patients and in exceptional circumstances)
Visiting hours may change at short notice due to operational or clinical reasons at the discretion of the Ward Manager helping us to ensure patient privacy and dignity.
Please respect our limits on the number of visitors patients can have at any one time, as a busy surgical ward our patients need a peaceful and calm environment to recover in and large number of visitors can be noisy and disruptive.
The GHA encourages a smoke free environment for the benefit of everyone. Smoking is only allowed within designated public areas.
Visiting the patient:
Visiting hours may vary and depend on the day and ward you wish to visit.
More detailed information about each ward’s visiting hours and any restrictions that may apply can be found below or by visiting the ward page itself.
Visitor numbers:
1 or 2 visitors per patient may be allowed at any one time. This is to make sure that our patients get the rest they need and other patients are not disturbed. However, entrance to the ward is at the discretion of the Ward Manager on duty.
Captain Murchison Ortho Trauma Ward
Visiting Times:
Daily: 17:45-18:45
Assisted feeding allowed times are between 1300 & 1700 as per NIC discretion
Children under 12 years of age are not allowed.
Visiting is at the discretion of the Ward Manager on duty.
Dudley Toomey Surgical Ward
Visiting Times:
Daily: 18:00 to 19:00 hours, however, due to Operational Reasons the Ward Manager on duty, can decide at short notice to change visiting hours.Only 2 visitors per patient.
Children under 12 years of age are not allowed.
Visiting is at the discretion of the Ward Manager on duty.
James Giraldi Critical Care Unit
Visiting Times:
Main carer: Can visit 24hrs a day
Rest of the family: Can visit the patient between 13:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 19:00. If for some reason you are unable to visit during those hours, discuss this with the nurse in charge. Two visitors are permitted for each patient at any one time (during this visiting time
John Mackintosh General Medical Ward
Daily: 17:45-18:45
Assisted feeding allowed times are between 1300 & 1700 as per NIC discretion
Children under 12 years of age are not allowed.
Visiting is at the discretion of the Ward Manager on duty.
Emily Mackintosh Maternity Ward
Visiting Times:
Admissions during Pregnancy
- Partners can visit from 10.00 – 22.00
- No overnight stays
- If there are any developments, day or night, we
will inform the partner
- Your other children can visit during the visiting hour and should
be supervised by the father, not yourself
- Visiting will be at the discretion of the midwife in charge
Visiting in Labour
- No visiting in labour other than your two birth partner
- No visiting after delivery in the labour room
- Waiting of extended family outside the Maternity ward is not permitted, please ensure that you let them know to wait at home for the good news of the delivery of the baby
Visiting on postnatal ward
- Father and siblings of baby can visit from 10.00 – 22.00
- 4 Nominated visitors can visit from 18.00 – 19.00
These visitors will not change during your stay !!!
If an emergency arises on the ward, we ask you respectfully to leave
as we are trying to protect the privacy and welfare of the women.
Infection Control
We ask that all visitors to do their bit to prevent the spread of infection
by following a few simple rules.
- Do not attend the ward if feeling unwell with a heavy cold, flu or any vomiting or diarrhoea.
- Visitors are not permitted to use patient toilets.
- Visitors are not permitted to sit or lie on the beds
- Cut flowers are an infection control risk, therefore we advise to have them taken home
- Hand gel dispensers should be used upon entering and leaving the unit
Rainbow Children’s Ward
Daily Visiting Hours: 08:00–22:00
* Parents or carers may visit during these hours.
* A maximum of two nominated adult visitors per patient is permitted, and these must be the same two adults throughout the admission.
We maintain strict visiting rules to minimise the risk of cross-infection and to protect our patients during this particularly vulnerable period. Rainbow Ward is currently caring for an increasing number of neonates, making infection prevention a priority.
However, depending on the clinical activity and patient acuity on the ward, the Nurse in Charge may exercise discretion.
Victoria Mackintosh General Medical Ward
Visiting Times:
Daily: 17:45 to 19:45
Only 2 visitors per patient.
Children under 12 years of age are not allowed.
Visiting is at the discretion of the Ward Manager on duty.
Preventing the spread of infections whilst visiting.We take cleanliness and infection prevention very seriously, but need your help to keep our infection rates low.
Infectious illnesses
If you know, or think, that you may have an infectious condition , please contact the relevant ward or department before visiting. If you have an infectious condition such as chicken pox, measles, diarrhoea or vomiting we may ask you not to come into hospital, as these infections could pose a risk to others.
To reduce the spread of infections we ask you to avoid sitting on hospital beds.
Hand washing
There are hand rub dispensers at the entrance to every ward.
Please use this to clean your hands on entering or leaving a ward. Using the hand rub kills any germs on your hands and reduces the risk of introducing infection to patients within the ward.
Flowers
Get-well gifts are welcome at the hospital, but flowers and plants pose a safety risk. For example, with immunocompromised patients. The reason for this is that flowers or plants can harbour mould and water-borne organisms, which could cause additional infection and illness.
Extra infection control measures
From time to time we may need to transfer patients between wards. This is usually if they have an infectious condition that poses a risk to others or to protect them from infection. If this is the case, you must ask nursing staff about any precautions you need to take and whether there are any restrictions to visiting
