Following our second meeting with Bedfordshire Hospitals senior management, we received updated guidance on visiting arrangements in palliative circumstances and the Next of Kin Help line. The documents are available to download and excerpted below:
– Clinical guide for supporting visiting arrangements for those receiving care at the end of life
– Luton INFORMATION ABOUT VISITING
At the Luton and Dunstable Hospital Site, we are still unable to allow any visitors on site, unless there are exceptional circumstances, for example in maternity or children’s departments, or for those patients who are in the last few days of their lives, on a case-by-case basis. There may be some other exceptions to this on compassionate grounds, which we will discuss with you on an individual basis. If you consider your situation meets the exceptions, please contact the staff in the clinical area in which the patient is being cared for and they will advise if visiting may be permitted.
At this busy time, we need to minimise the ward phone calls so we ask that friends and family keep in touch with patients, using their own mobile phones where this is possible.
We are asking that patients to inform the staff which person they wish us to liaise with and this if often the next of kin.
From Monday to Saturday (09.00 to 18.00) for those patients that are not able to do this the Next of Kin Help line team may call the nominated person and provide a brief update about the patient. We ask that those NoK do not contact the ward when this arrangement is in place.
The Next of Kin Helpline number is 01582 718884
Where there is an arrangement in place to call the wards we ask they do so after 13:00 and before 16:00.
