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Covid precautions are here to stay

Although we are thankfully no longer under lockdown restrictions, Covid-19 is still with us – and we are keeping stringent precautions in place for the safety of our patients and staff.

We are proud to be a designated Covid-safe super green site, which means we can safely undertake elective surgical procedures for patients who do not have coronavirus through following a series of measures.

These include:

  • The creation of “zones” within the hospital.
  • All staff tested for Covid-19. 
  • All patients tested for Covid-19.   
  • Screening on arrival at hospital. 
  • Staff wearing scrubs and appropriate PPE. 
  • Separate entrances to the hospital for different departments.

Ashley Brown, St Hugh’s Hospital’s director, said:

“Unfortunately and sadly, many people are still being affected by coronavirus, and though Government-imposed guidance and rules may have eased, we are insistent on following good practice measures to keep everyone safe.

“It is one of our top priorities to minimise the risk of cross infection within the hospital itself and our waiting areas.

“Each patient is required to take a PCR test prior to coming in for a procedure and self-isolate for three days beforehand.

“The hospital currently does not allow patients to have visitors at the hospital unless there are exceptional circumstances. We work closely with these patients to provide support and minimise the anxiety felt when attending hospital, however we understand that assistance is sometimes still necessary.

“We also endeavour to support communication for patients on the ward with the use of telephone and video calling where appropriate.”  

As reported, St Hugh’s is proud to have developed a long-standing NHS partnership throughout the pandemic to help treat long-waiting surgical patients and support the national Elective Recovery Plan. Our specialist areas of support include orthopaedics, general surgery, ophthalmology, gynaecology, and diagnostics.

We are currently working with three NHS hospital trusts in the region – Northern Lincolnshire and Goole (NLAG), Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust. Each are transferring long-waiting patients to St Hugh’s. The strength of our long-standing NHS relationships allowed such transfers to be mobilised quickly, with measures taken to provide a Covid-secure environment for all patients. 

Recently, we were featured in a national report examining the historic partnership between the NHS and independent hospital sector during Covid-19 – you can read the full document here: https://hmtsthughs.org/st-hughs-featured-in-new-report-on-nhs-covid-19-partnerships/

Meanwhile, we are also proud to support the #NotTooMuchToMask national campaign to help stop the spread of coronavirus. The campaign from the NHS Confederation is about making choices that help us all work together to help minimise the spread of coronavirus, and asks the public to make five pledges:

  1. Wear a face mask or covering, if not exempt, including where not wearing one could make someone feel unsafe.
  2. Do what you can to keep indoor spaces well ventilated and opt for meeting outdoors, where possible.
  3. Clean hands regularly, including before and after social contact with those outside your household.
  4. Get tested, support contact-tracing measures and self-isolate when required.
  5. Make sure you get both doses of the coronavirus vaccine when asked and that friends and family to do the same.

For more information about our super green status and to view our Covid-19 precautions, visit https://hmtsthughs.org/covid-19-safety-information-for-patients/