Responsible Visiting

The safety of our patients is a priority at Poole Hospital, and we have a range of strict measures in place to prevent and control the spread of infections.

However, as a visitor to the Hospital, you also have a part to play in helping us to keep patients safe, by ensuring you do not bring in any bugs with you and observing our hand hygiene rules whilst you are in the Hospital.

During the winter months, it is particularly important that you do not visit patients in hospital if you have had any diarrhoea or vomiting symptoms in the last 72 hours. The stomach bugs that cause diarrhoea or vomiting such as Norovirus are highly contagious, and can spread rapidly through schools, colleges and hospitals.

Even if you feel well after a sickness bug, you could still be contagious, so it’s vital that you help us to look after your loved ones by holding off your visit until you have been symptom-free for 72 hours.

It is also important that you do not visit if you have any flu-like symptoms. Patients in hospital are particularly vulnerable to infection, so if you do visit and bring in a bug with you, you risk passing it on to them as well as others around them.

5 Things You Didn't Know About Norovirus

Norovirus is the most common cause of infectious diarrhoea and vomiting in England.
The virus is highly contagious and spreads rapidly anywhere that people are gathered, including schools, offices, hotels and hospitals.
Norovirus is not a so-called ‘superbug’ like MRSA (which is a bloodborne infection) or Clostridium Difficile (which is mostly linked to antibiotic use).
The virus is usually mild, and people generally recover within 2-3 days. However, it can have a much more serious affect on vulnerable hospital patients.
If you have had Norovirus, you will remain contagious for up to 72 hours after your last episode of diarrhoea or vomiting, and in some cases even longer. That is why it is vital that you do not visit people in hospital if you have been ill in the last three days. Remember, too, to always wash your hands well with soap and water after using the toilet.

Further Information On The Prevention Of Infections

To read more information about the prevention and control of infections in Poole Hospital, please click on the links below:

Contact Us

To contact the Infection Prevention & Control Team, call:

01202 442232

If you are a patient or a carer and are concerned about infection please speak to a member of the team caring for you. You can also speak to the Patient Advice and Liaison Service