Changes to the current one visitor per patient visiting arrangements will come into effect from Wednesday 25 May. These changes will mean that patients in most areas of Fife hospitals will be allowed visits from two people at any given time. You can read more about this here.
Essential visiting is in operation in a small number of our wards currently.
The following are currently permitted only for essential visiting. Note that this list is updated daily so if you are in any doubt about whether you can visit, please do not hesitate to contact the ward and nurse in charge to discuss your personal circumstances.
We have assessed the risks of the environment and regularly review our guidance to allow safe visiting between patients and visitors and ask all visitors to adhere to our current guidance, to ensure that everyone is kept safe.
If you are visiting one of our hospitals, you will be able to order a home testing kit online, visit www.nhsinform.scot or call 119. Please ensure that you follow the guidance below. Find out more about continued LFT testing for identified groups here.
Clean your hands regularly with soap and water or hand sanitiser
Please wear a fluid resistant surgical mask - these will be available on arrival
If you are feeling unwell, have COVID symptoms, or are identified as a contact, please do not visit
Respectfully, current visiting is limited to 2 visitors per patient
Movement around the hospital will be limited - please do not visit other patients
Visitors should not bring in food parcels, flowers, helium balloons or similar items
Please take a lateral flow test before visiting our hospitals
Catering facilities will not be available and please do not eat or drink in a ward environment
Maintain physical distancing wherever possible
At times it may be necessary to restrict visiting for short periods of time for specific reasons. For example, if there is an outbreak of an infection such as COVID-19 in a ward it is normal practice to restrict visiting until the outbreak is under control. Even in these circumstances we would expect essential visits to be able to continue where required. Some examples of situations include, when someone is reaching the end of their life, if someone has dementia and needs family support, support for someone with a learning disability, a family member who has informal caring responsibilities, parents with a child in hospital and care relating to childbirth including both ante-natal and post-natal care. These examples are illustrative and are not an exhaustive list. Contact the ward and nurse in charge to discuss your personal circumstances.
The strict visiting restrictions which we had to introduce as a result of the pandemic have now been eased to allow patients in Fife hospitals to be able to receive two visitors each day.
Patients in most areas of Fife hospitals will be allowed visits from two people at any given time. In areas where this cannot be accommodated due to 2-metre distancing requirements, patients will continue to be able to receive two visitors per day, but with one visitor permitted at a time.
As we ease these restrictions, strict hygiene and distancing measures remain in place to help us minimise the risk to patients and healthcare staff. For this reason, we ask that all visitors regularly apply hand sanitiser and continue to wear a fluid resistant surgical face mask when visiting. These masks are available at hospital entrances.
Within our Neonatal and Children’s Wards, only siblings of the young person in hospital care are permitted. In our Maternity areas, siblings of the newborn can visit mother and baby on the maternity ward but are not permitted in our labour or assessment areas.
Visitors are also strongly urged to test for COVID-19 before attending and home test kits remain free-of-charge to those visiting hospitals. Information on how to order such kits is available at: www.nhsfife.org/testing.
All visiting arrangements continue to be kept under regular review in line with COVID-19 infection rates and hospital capacity, with a view to moving to full person-centred visiting when safe to do so.
There are a number of areas where visiting is considered to be essential and will continue to be permitted. Details can be found on the following links Maternity / End of Life Care /Mental Health/Learning Disabilities / Children’s Department. If in any doubt, visitors should contact us and discuss with nurse-in charge.
This position will be kept under regular review.
Where in-person support is not possible, a patient can be supported by alternatives such as virtual visiting using tablets or mobiles.