Coronavirus Guidance

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Guidance for Visitors (Ward)| Secure Certificate | Hospice Response | Community Services | Wellbeing

Inpatient ward – guidance for visitors
New guidance with effect from 22nd February 2021

The inpatient unit at St John’s Hospice believe visiting is very important for our patients and are allowing limited visiting with strict infection prevention measures in place. We would be grateful if you could assist us in keeping our patients, visitors and staff as safe as possible.

Visiting hours are between 12.00 noon and 4.30pm in an allocated two-hour slot: an appointment for a visit needs to be booked with the inpatient ward team for each day.
Visitors are expected to report to the reception prior to their allocated visitor slot and will then be directed to the Oak centre where a member of staff will guide you to complete your own Lateral Flow Test (these will be provided). Please see our Covid Testing Disclaimer.
Every visitor needs a Lateral Flow Test before visiting on each occasion and you will need to allow ¾ hour for this process (this will be additional to your two-hour slot).
If the test result is positive you will not be permitted to visit. You will then be guided through completing a second swab (PCR – Polymerase Chain Reaction) which you will post yourself and will give a full laboratory analysis to confirm your result. You will be requested to return home immediately and follow the government guidelines to self-isolate for ten days. A period of 14 days must elapse before you can recommence visiting and you must at this stage be no longer experiencing acute symptoms (e.g. a high temperature, severe muscle aches, headaches), however a cough and lack of taste of smell or taste may persist for a number of weeks/months).
Only two visitors per patient per day are permitted and they must be at the same time (patients’ children don’t count in the numbers if they are under 18) and from the same household.
You will be expected to wear full PPE, gloves, aprons and a mask, which will be provided.
During visiting if you leave the building you will not be permitted to return on that day – you will be allocated only one set of PPE for the duration of your visit on that day.
On admission each patient will be asked to name a maximum of four visitors who will be allowed to visit throughout their admission, we apologise that we cannot permit more than this. Please as a family decide which relatives and/or friends will be the named visitors.
If the patient is deemed to be in the end of life stage of care and in the last hours or short days of life, four visitors may be permitted on one day. Please ensure if you are not in the same household or social bubble that you are socially distanced from each other (as per government guidelines) at all times.
It will be at the discretion of the nurse in charge as to how long this visiting episode can be – please be aware that we cannot accommodate open visiting or overnight stays at any stage.Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe during the pandemic.

For more information please contact Hospice Reception on 01524 382538.

Reception is currently open for enquires and donations etc:

Monday to Friday: 9am – 6pm
Saturday and Sunday: 1.30-4.30pm

Thank you for your help in keeping everyone as safe as possible during the coronavirus pandemic. If you have any queries please speak to the Nurse in Charge or contact the Hospice on telephone number: 01524 382538.

Thank you for your understanding

COVID-19 Secure certificate

HOSPICE RESPONSE Update

We want to assure our loyal community that St John’s is following guidance provided by the Government and Public Health England regarding the Coronavirus outbreak. We are taking every precautionary action to protect our critical community and inpatient services, and protect the safety of our patients, families, volunteers and employees.

We are adapting the way we work in all areas to ensure that key services continue to operate in these uncertain times. This does mean that until further notice, to protect the health and wellbeing of our communities, St John’s Hospice has taken the difficult decision to:

Cancel Day Therapy Services at the Oak Centre
Close The Courtyard Café
Close The Courtyard Giftshop
Close the St John’s Hospice high street and furniture shops
Postpone or cancel some of our fundraising events (details to follow)
Restrict access to the chapel to current hospice patients and their visitors

Community Services – including Clinical Nurse Specialists and Hospice at Home Team

During this period of the Coronavirus outbreak our Clinical Nurse Specialist team are still at work across the community. This care team provide vital specialist palliative care including pain and symptom management as well as psychological support.

Our Hospice at Home team are still travelling in the community 7 days a week delivering care to patients near end of life as well as support to their families and carers.

Our teams will make contact with all of our patients in the community to discuss their ongoing care and support. Please be assured we remain totally committed to supporting you and your families and where appropriate, we will conduct reviews remotely by telephone call.

Day Therapy Services and Support Programmes

Regrettably we will not be able to host our weekly programmes, drop in sessions or remembrance services until further notice. The services provided consist mostly of group sessions and operating would be counter to guidance on social distancing in order to prevent the infection and spread of the Covid-19 virus.

Although we are currently unable to provide the Hospice Neighbours home-visiting befriending service we will soon be offering a volunteer befriending telephone service.

Volunteers

We have welcomed back volunteers into hospice shops positions and a small number of other roles. The majority of our volunteers however continue to be stepped down from their roles whilst the coronavirus is ongoing. This is sad for St John’s Hospice as the support of our volunteers is very important.

Wellbeing and mental health during Covid-19 DOWNLOAD

Here is a helpful booklet from Every Life Matters, which provides help and guidance for wellbeing and mental health during Covid-19. Thank you to Every Life Matters for making this available. Download here.

You can also access The Little Book of Hope, thanks to the Yogi Group. Download here.

Thank you for your loyalty and unselfish commitment in these difficult days – we wouldn’t be here without you

Last updated: 04/03/2021