COVID-19 Visitor Policy update set to ease restrictions June 16
An update to Northumberland Hills Hospital’s COVID-19 Visitor Policy has been approved with input from front-line staff, physicians, screeners and members of our Patient and Family Advisory Council.
Effective tomorrow (Wednesday, June 16), in-person visiting hours at NHH will return to 12 hours/day (8AM to 8PM), for inpatient units, similar to the practice introduced in the fall of 2020.
Visiting hours within the Emergency Department will be open 24 hours/day.
Visitors will continue to be on hold for any patient in a COVID-19 ‘hot zone’ (i.e. confirmed or presumed positive for COVID-19).
The maximum daily number of visitors/essential caregivers will again be limited to one person per patient per day (on inpatient units) or per visit (for Emergency Department) with exceptions, at the discretion of the care team, for palliative/end-of-life patients permitted.
Obstetrical patients will be permitted to have a primary partner AND labour coach if desired.
All visitors will continue to be required to sign in and document their contact information for purposes of contact tracing.
Visitors who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 must pass the screening process and will be expected to follow all required infection prevention and control practices within the hospital.
Patients/substitute decision makers will be responsible for selecting who they wish their visitor/essential caregiver to be, and to communicate that wish to the rest of their family/social circle in advance of any visit to avoid people having to be turned away at the entrance. Patients who wish to have different individuals visit on different days are asked to communicate this to their loved ones in advance.
Virtual Visiting Continues
Virtual visiting appointments are a good alternative to consider if you are unable to enter the hospital at this time to see a loved one. Virtual visiting is available Monday through Friday. Virtual visits may be requested by either patients or by their family members or friends. Phone appointments are also available on request.
Those interested in requesting a Virtual Visiting appointment with an individual admitted to NHH can contact the hospital’s Virtual Visiting Team at 905-372-6811 ext. 3146 or send an email to virtualconnections@nhh.ca and include their preferred contact information, as well as the unit, room number and initials of the patient they would like to connect with (note: to protect patient privacy, the patient’s full name should not be included in the email).
For further information on visiting at NHH, including our related COVID-19 Visitor Policy and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document, as well as details on Virtual Visiting, see our website at: nhh.ca/Patients/VisitingGuidelines.