Hartlepool's Alice House hospice eases restrictions on visitors - these are the new rules for visiting patients

Alice House Hospice in Wells Avenue, Hartlepool, has brought in a range of actions and precautions to enable family members to visit their loved ones after previously being unable to during lockdown.

Measures include a wrist temperature check and the creation of six-person visiting bubbles allowing up to two visitors per patient at any one time.

Alice House has updated its guidance and requires all visitors to enter and leave via the main reception.

In April, the hospice stopped all visits on safety grounds and in preparation of helping the NHS with community and Covid-19 end of life pathway patients.

For a few weeks, the hospice has allowed patients’ families to visit in small bubbles but had to enter and leave via the patient’s bedroom doors onto the garden.

Alice House Hospice clinical lead Paula Tempest said: “Having patients and relatives enter via the reception allows our amazing reception staff to be able to greet our patients and families.

"The use of our temperature checking device means we are keeping our patients and staff as safe as possible and the use of safe bubbles allows families to come together as safely as possible whilst staying in line with government guidelines.

"Patients and families can now spend quality and important time together in a safe environment.”

The self-scanning temperature reader is contactless therefore preventing cross infection and is accurate to within 0.3°C.

Current visiting rules also include having to provide and wear your own face mask which needs to be put on before entering.

Visitors must sign in and out, wash their hands on entering and leaving, and go directly to the patient’s room.

Alice House has also invested in the latest technology to help patients keep in contact with family.

It includes the purchase of smart TV’s and Facebook Portal devices, which allow the televisions to make video calls.

Anyone who has symptoms of the virus or has been in contact with anybody who has is asked to keep away.

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