There has been a big increase in the number of Covid-19 cases detected in the county, prompting University Hospital Kerry to impose strict visitor conditions to reduce the risk of the illness spreading further.
Hospital management moved swiftly last night following confirmation of what has been described as a significant increase in the number of Coronavirus patients being admitted with, in particular, a high level of emergency presentations reported.
The hospital said it imposed the restrictions to keep patients and their loved ones “as safe as possible”.
All visitors to the hospital must wear masks and adhere to strict hand hygiene regulations and in wards where Covid-19 positive patients are accommodated, visiting will not be permitted, except on pre-arranged compassionate grounds, and visitors will be required to wear appropriate PPE gear.
“We understand that these measures may be difficult for families but please know that our priority is the safety and well-being of your loved ones and out dedicated staff,” a hospital statement read.
In general wards, where Covid-19 has not been detected, just one visit per patient is allowed each day, at times to be agreed with staff in advance. Visiting outside the designated times will be permitted only on compassionate grounds.
In the maternity unit, accompanying partner arrangements remain unchanged but children can only visit on compassionate grounds.
To ensure other ways of families keeping in contact with patients, the hospital has set up a dedicated email address (uhk.keepingcontact@hse.ie) for messages to be sent to patients. Each communication should include the patient’s name, ward name and the first line of their home address in the subject line.
For patients without a smartphone a video call can be requested using Whatsapp on Digipads and that can be arranged by contacting the ward manager of nurse manager.
The hospital’s visiting coordinator can be contacted on 087-1138053.
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