Understandably some patients have been anxious about going in to hospital during the pandemic. However the number of patients in hospital due to Covid has dropped substantially. So isolation of patients with Covid is easier (e.g. in the new Guildford Ward which is dedicated to such patients). With the Covid burden reduced the hospital is doing its utmost to catch up with a backlog and is seeking to reassure the public as to safety. In that respect you should know that despite 'freedom day' all the precautionary measures in the hospital e.g. masks, other PPP, social distancing, one way systems etc will remain in place. Those entering the hospital will need to wear masks and there will be restrictions on visiting and accompanying of Outpatients - these are detailed on the web site. Hopefully this will be reassuring and let us cross fingers that the hospital will not be inundated with Covid patients as cases in the community continue to grow exponentially.
