Warrington Hospital's patient visiting times extended

Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has introduced longer visiting hours of 12pm to 8pm this week, which it hopes will allow relatives to become involved in the care of their loved ones and help to ‘boost a patient’s morale and recovery’.

The hospital’s new visitor charter also asks that there are only two visitors per bed, that medication rounds between 5pm and 6.30pm are uninterrupted and that questions relating to patient care are asked before 7pm where possible.

Visitors may also be asked to leave their loved one for short time periods for confidentiality or privacy reasons.

Kimberley Salmon-Jamieson, chief nurse at Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our priority is to provide quality care for our patients.

“Visiting times are extended in the majority of our inpatient areas to enable relatives and carers to feel more involved in the care that we provide in hospital and planning for discharge home.”