Limited visiting still allowed at King's Mill Hospital as Covid cases soar due to the omicron variant

Other hospitals in the area, including Chesterfield Royal Hospital and Sheffield’s Northern General, have again suspended visiting – but Sherwood Forest Hospitals, which also runs Mansfield Community Hospital, is still allowing one designated visitor per patient.

Exceptions, where people are allowed more than one visitor, include “patients who are end of life, under 18, require a designated carer, or have significant needs such as mental health and dementia”, according to the trust website.

Patients who currently have Covid are supported to have virtual visits from friends and loved ones.

It states: “Each inpatient is able to have one designated visitor to visit 1pm-5pm each day, unless they are Covid positive or the ward is currently closed due to an infection outbreak.”

Designated visits are managed by individual wards, and friends and relatives should check visiting times via the website.

People attending for emergency appointments should still attend alone, unless they are under-18 or require a carer.

However, the trust says it is keeping its visiting policy under review, and will update its website “once its position on visiting changes”.

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