Skip to main content

VISITING

Visiting hours for all inpatients areas are between 2pm to 8pm, seven days a week at University Hospital, Coventry and the Hospital of St Cross, Rugby.

A maximum number of two people can visit for up to one hour at a time to provide flexibility for visitors and enhance the experience for our patients.

Visitors are encouraged to visit during mealtimes to support our staff with helping patients eat and drink during these periods.

We also recommend that families of patients nominate one key named contact (typically the next of kin) to our ward staff to ensure that all patient updates can be made easily.

Please note some of our patient areas have different visiting times/requirements and exceptions may apply due to the vulnerable nature of individuals in these areas. See ‘Visiting Exceptions’ below for further information.

 

All visiting arrangements remain under constant review to ensure the safety of our patients and staff.

 

Outside of visiting hours, friends and relatives can contact patients through personal communication devices and call the ward directly if they need information.

 

If you are unable to visit, please speak to the ward staff who can arrange to pass on a message. All ward contact details can be found here (opens in new window). You can also take advantage of our Thinking of You (opens in new window) service to keep in touch.

 

For car parking details, click here (opens in new window) for University Hospital and click here (opens in new window) for Hospital of St Cross.

 

Please click here to read what to expect on your visit and the precautions we are taking to keep everyone safe.

Before your visit:

Please do not attend our sites if you or a member of your household feels unwell, have Covid-19 symptoms or a Covid-19 positive test result.

We would encourage all visitors to perform a Lateral Flow Test before visiting our sites. We do not request proof of a negative test. For birth partners, we strongly advise you perform a lateral flow test before visiting the hospital.

During your visit:

Please click here for more information.

After your visit:

If you receive a positive Covid-19 test result within 48 hours of visiting one of our sites, please contact the Ward Manager or Nurse in Charge. Details can be found on our Contact Us page.

Compassionate grounds

Visiting on compassionate grounds remains in place at our hospitals for visiting outside of specified hours.

 

If you are visiting on compassionate grounds, no time limit is in place and up to four visitors can attend. This can be discussed with the Ward Manager or Nurse in Charge.

 

Exceptional circumstances for compassionate visiting include: End of life care, emotional and/or physical support, recognised carers, supporting patients with dementia, learning disability or autism, specific supported communication needs and survival uncertain.

 

Maternity

Two birth partners can accompany the mother in labour. There is 24-hour visiting for birth partners on Wards 24 and 25.

General visiting is between 7pm-8pm.

Siblings may visit but must be supervised by an adult. No more than two visitors per bedspace.

Parents have unrestricted access to the Neonatal Unit. Siblings and grandparents are allowed to visit.

Paediatrics

One parent/designated carer/guardian can remain with a child during their hospital stay and overnight. A designated second parent/carer/guardian can also visit between 8am and 8pm.

There can be a maximum of two adults at a child’s bedside during these times and if parents wish to bring siblings when visiting, they must talk to the Nurse in Charge to confirm arrangements.

Arden Centre, Coventry, and Maple Unit, Rugby

Visitors are not permitted inside the Chemotherapy suite. One visitor can accompany the patient for pre-assessment clinic appointments.

One visitor can attend for radiotherapy planning appointments, radiotherapy treatment reviews and on the first day of radiotherapy treatment for confirmation of consent.

Please note, there is not a radiotherapy department in the Maple Unit. One visitor can also attend all outpatient clinic appointments at the centre.

Emergency Department and Coventry/Rugby Urgent Treatment Centres

One visitor or relative can accompany patients to the Emergency Department and assessment areas.

Patients can be accompanied by a relative/companion in our Urgent Treatment Centres if patients find this supportive.

Please be advised during times of increased pressures visiting may be paused and visitors will be made aware of this by staff on their arrival. This is to help control the number of people in the areas and to prevent overcrowding.

Haematology – Ward 34

Visiting between 2-4pm every day is limited to two people for a side room and one person for the bay.

If anyone wanting to visit is unable to attend between these times, please contact the ward on 02476 965387.

Oncology – Ward 35

Visitors are able to attend between 2pm to 4pm and 6pm to 8pm to ensure the safety of patients on the area. For further information please talk to the Ward Manager.

Critical Care

Visitors are able to attend between 11am to noon and 2pm to 7pm in Cardiothoracic Critical Care and between 11am to 1pm and 3pm to 7pm in General Critical Care.

Due to the nature of critical illness and on compassionate grounds the unit provide different visiting times to other wards within the Trust.

Please Do

  • Respect the privacy and dignity of patients at all times; it is an essential aspect of care. This includes making sure that any noise (e.g. loud conversations, videos on smartphones, tablets, etc.) is not disturbing other patients.
  • Turn your mobile phone to silent to keep noise to a minimum on our wards.

Please Don’t

  • Take photographs when in the hospital. We have a duty to protect the privacy, confidentiality and dignity of all of our patients.
  • We appreciate that hospitals can be stressful places for patients and visitors. However, any deliberate acts of verbal or physical aggression towards our staff will not be tolerated. Our members of staff work directly for the benefit of the public and it is not acceptable for them to be the subject of violence or abuse while caring for patients. We reserve the right to call security in the event of any incidents. Visitors may be escorted from the premises and banned from further visits.
  • Consume alcohol or use illegal drugs. patients, visitors or staff are not permitted to do either on our hospital sites.

Our hospitals have low rates of healthcare-associated infections like C. diff or MRSA. However, there are a number of things you can help us do to prevent infections in our hospitals.

Please Do

  • Arrange for a relative or friend to take any personal clothing home to wash. The hospital does not provide a patient laundry service.
  • Use the alcohol hand rub provided on the wards. Please could you kindly do this when entering and leaving a patient's room to prevent illness and infections.
  • Remember that it’s OK to ask staff if they have cleaned their hands. Staff giving patient care should also have bare arms below their elbows and should have removed watches and stoned rings.

Please Don’t

  • Use the patient toilets on the wards. If you need the bathroom, our ward staff will direct you to the nearest public toilets.
  • Touch the patient’s wounds or any medical equipment they are attached to, such as drips and catheters. This can cause infections.
  • Visit if you have recently suffered with an illness such as cold, vomiting, diarrhoea or any other infectious condition in the last 48 hours.
  • Sit or lie on the beds. Please use the chairs provided.
  • Smoke on hospital grounds as it is not permitted anywhere on our hospital sites to protect our patients, visitors, staff and buildings from the damages and consequences of smoking.
  • Drop litter. We kindly ask you to put all litter in the bins provided to keep our hospital clean.

Patients who are able to eat are provided with three main meals a day, with snacks and drinks available between meals.

 

Please Do

  • Tell us about any allergies or special diets as soon as possible.
  • Assist your relative or friend to eat their meals if they need help.
  • You may bring items of food like fruit and snacks for a loved one. However, please speak to the nurse in charge before giving a patient food brought from outside the hospital.