Coronavirus (Covid-19): What we are doing at Royal Surrey

Visiting rules from Monday 26 October

Our hospital sites will be closed to all visitors, except for the following:

• Maternity remains unchanged and we are following the national guidance.
• Paediatric visiting remains the same, with only one parent/carer allowed to visit per patient. 
• Patients at the end of life can have up to a maximum 4 visitors, however this must be agreed by the nurse in charge or based on patient location considerations.
• Patients who require the assistance of a carer e.g. learning disability.

If you have anything you would like to drop off to a patient, please use our Patient Property Drop-off service which will resume from Monday 26 October, 9am - 12pm Monday to Saturday.

MYCO virtual visiting

• Myco virtual visiting continues to be available. You can access more information about this, including how to book here.

Please see here for more information.

Our Emergency Department is still available 24/7 for patients requiring emergency care for serious and life-threatening conditions. If you are not sure if it is an emergency please call 111. You can also access 111 online here.

If you think you may have Coronavirus, please use the 111 online coronavirus service to find out what to do. Please only call 111 for Coronavirus help if you can’t get help online.

To ensure the safety of both our staff and our patients, all patients arriving at the Emergency Department will be assessed at the entrance by a nurse. Patients who require emergency care will be directed into either the Coronavirus area or the routine emergency waiting area.  

As always we will prioritise patients on clinical need so you may face delays due to the high level of clinically unwell patients we are currently seeing.

Please also remember Haslemere Minor Injury Unit and Woking Walk-in Centre are still open for you also.

Our maternity service is still available for all women to access, even in our current health crisis.

It is really important for the safety of you and your baby that you continue to access our antenatal, labour and postnatal services. Government advice for pregnant women is that they avoid non-essential contact currently, however, midwifery and medical care is absolutely essential so please access your appointments.

We have put additional measures in place to ensure the safety of all our pregnant women and babies – both those with or without potential Coronavirus symptoms (new continuous cough, high temperature or loss, or change, of smell or taste).

For URGENT help, please call the pregnancy advice line 03001235473.

You can find more information about what to do, who to contact and how we are keeping pregnant women and their babies safe here.

You can also view Coronavirus parent information for newborn babies here.

The ICU and Medical teams have written two documents which provide information for families and friends of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.

These are:

Information for families of inpatients with Covid-19

Information for families saying goodbye from a distance

Our property drop off service allows family and friends to bring in personal items for relatives at Royal Surrey County Hospital and is currently available from 09am to 12noon, Monday to Saturday. 

There is a booking line for appointments for our main hospital, which is available 8 am to midday (Monday to Friday) 0900-1200noon (Saturday’s), with an answerphone for outside of these times.  

Only 1 appointment will be offered per week, for those unable to visit (exceptional circumstances considered).  If your friend or family member is able to visit please ensure property exchange is completed during these visits, not through this service.  Please do not bring in large or bulky items as items will need to fit in to a bedside locker.  Large suitcases and bags will not be accepted, nor will other large items such as blankets or pillows.

Please do not arrive at this service without a booked appointment to allow a safe service provision.  Further guidance on items permitted and the process for dropping off property will be provided when you speak to the call operator. To call the line, the number is 07979 540 102.

For patients in Milford Hospital or Haslemere Hospital please contact the wards directly.

Most outpatient appointments will take place over the telephone or via a video call.

If you have a planned appointment and have not heard from us to change your appointment, please contact us using the contact details on your appointment letter. Please do not come in unless we tell you to.

We have started reinstating some of our face-to-face services for our services which had to stop or decrease due to Covid-19. You can view more information about our face-to-face appointments here. 

If you are due to come in for an appointment that we have confirmed is still happening and you or anyone in your household has suspected Coronavirus symptoms, please contact us using the contact details on your appointment letter and we will tell your consultant/clinician who will be able to advise what we need you to do.

Our district and community nursing service is continuing but they will prioritise urgent and semi-urgent cases. 

If you or a member of your household have symptoms of Coronavirus* and are expecting a home visit from a member of the community or district nursing team, please contact the Community Co-ordination Centre. 

Our district and community nursing team routinely wear a uniform when they are visiting patients and when they travel between patients. They are therefore extremely experienced at carrying out risk assessments to ensure they follow appropriate infection control and prevention practices and use the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect their uniform from contamination.

We have developed advice sheets to assist community patients with self care, which can be found by clicking here.

*Coronavirus symptoms are:

• a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
• a loss, or change, of smell or taste.

We have reviewed and adapted our cancer services. We have put specific arrangements in place for each service as detailed on our St Luke’s cancer centre page.

A set of frequently asked questions has been developed by the One Cancer Voice group of charities.​

You can view our coronavirus advice for Rheumatology patients here.

Surrey Heartlands has created a new information sheet for Surrey parents, highlighting the health and wellbeing services and support available to them during Covid-19.

This includes information on new local initiatives including the DadPad App, HANDi app and the new virtual postnatal peer support groups which are just starting, alongside existing services such as the Children and Family Health Surrey Advice Line and national resources like Every Mind Matters.

View support and information for parents and families in Surrey Heartlands during the coronavirus pandemic

As Coronavirus has been declared a pandemic, all treatment for the virus is free to all no matter your immigration status.

Washing your hands

While coronavirus is not likely to survive for long periods of time on outdoor surfaces in sunlight, it can live for more than 24 hours in indoor environments. Washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or using hand sanitizer, regularly throughout the day will reduce the risk of catching or passing on the virus. Please ensure you are washing your hands regularly and using hand sanitiser when you can.

Covering your face

Coronavirus is carried in the air by tiny respiratory droplets that carry the virus. Larger droplets can land on other people or on surfaces they touch while smaller droplets, called aerosols, can stay in the air indoors for at least five minutes, and often much longer if there is no ventilation. Face coverings reduce the dispersion of these droplets, meaning if you’re carrying the virus you’re less likely to spread it when you exhale. 

All staff, and visitors to the hospital, are required to wear a face mask or covering when walking around the Trust and/or are unable to keep a two metre distance.

Making space

Transmission of the virus is most likely to happen within two metres, with risk increasing exponentially at shorter distances. While keeping this exact distance isn’t always possible, remaining mindful of surroundings and continuing to make space has a powerful impact when it comes to containing the spread. Please continue to keep at least a two metre distance from others.

You can read the latest government guidance on shielding here.

You can find relevant information on testing in Surrey here.

A revised, bespoke page clearly sets out who is now eligible for a test, how to book, information about the different types of tests available, and useful videos explaining how testing is carried out.