Hospital visiting hours to be extended from April

Visitors to West Suffolk and Newmarket Community hospitals will now be able to spend longer with their relatives as visiting hours are being extended from 1 April.

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospitals, has announced its visiting hours will increase by four hours, from 14:00-20:00 to 10:00-20:00.

Explaining the decision, Dan Spooner, the trust's executive chief nurse, said: "When patients spend more time with their loved ones, it enhances the quality and safety of the care we provide - and usually gives patients a morale boost."

The existing limit of two visitors per patient at any one time will remain in place.

The trust said there would be no changes to the additional flexibility given to the carers and loved ones of patients receiving end-of-life care.

Open access for the parents and siblings of those on the neonatal ward will also continue, as will overnight stays for birthing partners.

"Increasing visiting hours will provide flexibility for visitors, help to stagger visits, and avoid the wards getting too busy or noisy," said Spooner.

"It should also improve the communication with our clinical teams by giving loved ones the ability to directly discuss care options - or raise any concerns - with the appropriate team.

"We think our patients will really benefit from the change."

The trust has created a new "visitors' charter" which sets out what visitors can expect and what the trust asks of them in return.

Spooner said: "Our charter asks our visitors to show respect to staff, patients, and other visitors, be responsive and understanding if requested to temporarily leave the bedside for essential care and cleaning and to maintain the Trust's smoke-free zone."

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