Visiting rules relaxed at Oxford University Hospitals
26/06/2020
This article is more than three years old.
Update March 2021 - this article is now out-of-date. Please see our visiting page for the latest information.
Visiting rules are being relaxed at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust so that where possible, patients and their loved ones can see each other in person again.
From Monday 29 June 2020, we will be allowing one visitor, for one hour, per patient, once a day.
One hour slots will be booked in advance by staff on the ward, who will contact named next of kin to arrange the appointment. Slots will only be available between Monday and Friday.
Some patients will have different arrangements, such as women in labour, child patients, patients at the end of their life, and patients with learning difficulties.
Visiting is still not allowed on wards where we are treating patients with COVID-19, and patients are expected to attend our outpatient departments unaccompanied unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Patients attending our Emergency Departments and Emergency Assessment Units are also expected to be unaccompanied unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Sam Foster, Chief Nursing Officer at the Trust, said: "We are incredibly grateful to our patients and their families for being so understanding during this challenging time. We recognise how extremely difficult the past few months have been for people who couldn't visit, and we have missed the support they can provide to their loved ones.
"Now, in line with updated Government guidance, we will follow the 'rule of one' and allow one visitor per patient for one hour at a time. We will have measures in place to keep our patients and our visitors safe. This may mean that your experience is a little different but this is to make sure that patients, visitors and staff are kept safe. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding."
Full details including time slots, full guidance, and what to expect when you are visiting are available on our website.
The 'Keep in Touch' service is also available for those who cannot visit their loved ones – please see our news story for more information.