Visitor restriction in place at QA Hospital due to "high demand" and "growing" norovirus cases

The restrictions will come into place on Thursday, February 5 with only one designated person per patient able to visit for one hour a day. It applies to wards E3, C2, G1 and G3 with all visits needing to be pre-booked and will only be available between 10am-2pm and 5pm-8pm.

A Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) spokesperson said: “We are seeing a growing number of norovirus cases, alongside increasing demand for services at QA Hospital. To help protect our patients and staff, visitor restrictions are being introduced in affected areas and we will continue to review this regularly.

“These restrictions will not apply under compassionate grounds for patients who are end-of-life or require additional support. This should be discussed with the Ward Manager.”

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For all other departments and areas of the hospital, including the emergency department, PHU is asking patients to attend alone or with just one other person.

The PHU spokesperson added: “Please do not visit someone in the hospital if you are experiencing symptoms of Norovirus. Wait until you have been symptom free for at least 48 hours. We understand how difficult this can be for those wanting to visit someone in hospital and thank you for your support in helping keep people safe.”

The restrictions have come into place a few days after the hospital in Cosham saw an increase in demand as it supported University Hospital Southampton following a fire which saw 200 patients evacuated on Sunday, February 1.

There are no changes to the visitation policy for the Children (NICU and Paediatrics)/maternity and birthing partners department.