What are we doing about Coronovirus?

Although many restrictions applicable to the wider community in England were relaxed on 19 July, we continue to employ many safety precautions to protect patients and staff who may be vulnerable. This page provides information for patients and visitors about how we continue to respond to COVID-19, and what patients need to do to help us protect patients, visitors, and staff.

Coronovirus update

The safety of our patients, staff, and visitors is our highest priority.  Many restrictions applicable in the wider community in England were lifted on 19 July, following the progress made in achieving high levels of vaccination.  However, since many of our patients are vulnerable, several safety precautions will remain in place across all of our sites to ensure the safety of our patients and staff.  These measures will continue until such time that the risk has been reduced:

  • We will continue to screen our patients prior to their appointment.  We will ask whether patients have any symptoms strongly associated with COVID-19 or if they have come into contact with someone who has received a positive diagnosis.  This screening process will take place before the patient arrives in our department.  All visitors will have a temperature check upon arrival.  Please do not come to the Hospital if you have any COVID-19 symptoms.
  • We will continue to implement a strict visitor policy.  To reduce the number of non-essential people in our departments, we kindly ask that patients attend on their own, or with one essential carer only.
  • Our facilities remain clear of all non-essential items.  We will not be providing magazines or newspapers and will also not be offering drinks in our waiting areas.
  • All facilities and equipment are disinfected after each patient using approved policies and procedures.  We have implemented the best anti-viral products so we can be sure that any equipment or surface we encounter is clean and safe.
  • We are accustomed to using personal protective equipment (PPE) and will continue to make use of PPE to protect our staff and patients.  All team members wear a mask, gloves, and an apron which are changed between each patient contact.  Patients will still be asked to wear a face-covering at all times during their visit and must only remove it unless instructed to do so by a member of staff.
  • We have supplies of hand sanitiser which are available for staff and visitors to use.  All our staff are trained in best practice for hand hygiene and we continue to monitor compliance with these guidelines on a continuous basis.

What can our patients do to keep safe?

We are communicating the following instructions to all patients so that they may help us to continue keeping vulnerable patients and staff safe:

  • Patients should contact the department BEFORE attending if they have any concerns over their normal health, particularly if they have developed a cough, fever, or any other symptom that has been commonly associated with Covid-19.  Recent research has identified new symptoms which have been associated with new variants and seen in those people who have been fully vaccinated.  These can include symptoms that may be commonly associated with a cold or hayfever.  We ask patients to monitor their own health and to contact us before their appointment if they have concerns over any symptoms that they feel are unusual for them.
  • Patients should exercise good hand washing practice and wash their hands for a minimum of 20 seconds in warm soapy water, ideally before attending.  Hand sanitiser is available in our department and should be used upon arrival.
  • Patients should continue to wear a mask when attending any medical appointment.  This is for the protection of people around them, some of whom may be clinically vulnerable.
  • Patients should not bring anyone with them to their appointment unless they need specific assistance.  Our waiting rooms will be closed to any non-essential visitors.
  • Patients are encouraged to download and use the new NHS COVID-19 App.  We are displaying QR codes in all public areas within our facilities so that patients can ‘check-in’ and take part in the new track and trace initiative.  For more information, please refer to our article ‘Using the NHS Track and Trace App’ here.

Check the latest COVID-19 guidance at: www.nhs.uk/coronavirus

For more information, to discuss any concerns or to book an appointment, please contact the imaging team on 020 3887 0566 or referrals@cheniesmews.com