Western Trust announces new flexible visiting times for Altnagelvin Hospital to 'enable visitors to spend more time caring for their loved ones'

The Western Trust has announced that it will be more flexible in relation to visiting hours for those coming to see patients in baby, children's and higher dependency wards at Altnagelvin Hospital. Speaking at the monthly meeting of the Western Trust board Alan Corry Finn, Executive Director of Nursing and Director of Primary Care Older Peoples Services, said that, while this is dependent on each ward and department of the hospital, decisions will be made in the best interests of each individual patient. "Going back through life in the Trust, there were times we were struggling to clean hospitals because visitors were coming at all hours and there was opening visiting at one time," he told the meeting. "But we restricted the visiting although we gave fairly generous hours in the day, between 2.30pm and 4pm and 6.30pm and 8pm in the general wards and that's the way it continues. "However, as time has gone on we have a lot of facilities that have single rooms and people walking in are not an intrusion on other patients by maybe sitting in between beds." Mr Corry Finn said the relaxation of visiting times in certain wards and situations would enable visitors to spend more time caring for their loved ones. "We would encourage relatives to come and get involved in the care and be supportive of the patients here in hospital," he said. "So, we are being more flexible in our approach and whilst the general times are still between 2.30pm and 4pm and 6.30pm and 8pm, obviously in children's, neo-natal, high dependency and intensive care, we would be much more flexible on that. "With any patients who are very ill or dying and with patients who have got dementia, we are very flexible on how we can accommodate patients." He added: "It will be different depending on the ward and department but it really will be down to the individual needs of the patients."