Weston General hospital to restrict visiting hours due to outbreak of Norovirus

Weston Area Health NHS Trust have taken the decision to stop people coming into the hospital in an effort to reduce the spread of the highly infectious winter vomiting bug.

Friends and family will be restricted to visiting patients between 2pm and 3pm on Saturday and Sunday only.
There will also be a maximum of two adult visitors per patient and children under 11-years-old will not be allowed to visit.
The hospital say people will be turned away unless these measures are followed.

Terminally and critically ill patients are not subject to these restrictions.

The hospital is also urging people not to come if they’ve experienced diarrhoea or vomiting in the last 48 hours. 

The rate of gastroenteritis across the population of North Somerset is very high, with North Somerset experiencing a rate of 99.1 per 100,000 people compared to 55.9 in Bath and North East Somerset.

A spokesperson for the hospital said “There is evidence that at least one of the recent ward closures links to a relative coming in with symptoms and we are therefore restricting visiting across the Trust to reduce the likelihood of further Norovirus being inadvertently brought in by visitors.”

Three wards remain closed at the hospital - Uphill, Kewstoke and the Stroke Unit.

Specific wards with any current outbreaks are clearly indicated by banner signs. People are being asked to sanitise their hands on arrival at the hospital.”

The Trust will review the weekend’s visitor restriction on Monday 9 March.

 For more information visit www.waht.nhs.uk