Coronavirus Health information

Please use the NHS website for general health information about coronavirus and when to seek medical help.

To protect others, do not go to places like a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital if you have coronavirus symptoms.

Please use the 111 online coronavirus service to find out what to do.

Managing Recovery

NHS: Your COVID Recovery
Chartered Society of Physio Therapy: COVID-19 Road to Recovery
Animated YouTube Video
Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation

After Being in a Healthcare Setting

After being discharged from A&E or a GP consultation: Coronavirus Information
After being discharged from a hospital stay: Coronavirus Information

Every Action Counts – A Video from the NHS

Coronavirus Vaccination Information

For specific information about the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme, your eligibility for the vaccine, details of local walk-in vaccination clinics and other details please visit the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICS website.

You can also visit the UK Government website for the latest information about the Coronavirus Vaccine.

Visiting patients

Patients are allowed two visitors at any one time between the times of 11.30am – 8pm. However, visitors MUST confirm their visit with the ward beforehand as all visiting arrangements are kept under constant review in line with national guidelines and are subject to change at short notice. See our Ward Directory for contact information.

Please note that for patients coming in for planned surgery at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, unfortunately there is no space to accommodate visitors.

Visitors can stay with the patient for longer than one hour, and leave and return within the visiting times if they wish to (mealtimes remains protected).

Children and young people under 16 will be permitted to visit with an adult visitor. Young people over 16 will be treated as an adult visitor.

There will continue to be additional flexibility and support for compassionate visiting (special circumstances) and for those patients with specific needs. There are also separate visiting arrangements for Children’s Wards and Maternity which are all detailed below.

Please DO NOT attend our hospitals if you are COVID-19 positive, are showing relevant symptoms, feel unwell, or are isolating.

Please be aware that visitors may be asked to leave the patient’s bedside temporarily whilst clinical duties and handovers are undertaken.

Compassionate Visiting (Special Circumstances)

Additional visiting may be permitted in exceptional circumstances such as:

  • When a patient is considered at End of Life
  • When a patient is given a life limiting or palliative diagnosis
  • When a patient requires familiar support with communication, dietary or mental health needs including, but not restricted to, patients with Learning Disabilities, Dementia, Delirium with agitation, complex long-term health needs, or severe emotional distress

Compassionate visiting arrangements can be discussed with the Ward Manager or nurse in charge.

Children’s Ward

Compassionate visiting will continue for patients under the age of 18. Two visitors are permitted, with one parent/guardian able to stay overnight. Children on an adult ward can also have two visitors during visiting hours and one parent/guardian can remain with them outside of these hours.

Maternity

Delivery Suite: Two birth partners can attend.

Triage:One support partner can accompany each woman when they are being assessed in Triage. On arrival an initial assessment will take place which partners can be present for and if you need immediate care then your partner can stay with you while you are on the ward. If you are required to wait for further review or follow up, a pager will be issued to allow your partner and/or yourself to wait outside of triage due to capacity in the waiting area. When you return for further observations, your partner will be able to attend with you.

Antenatal (Ward 22): One support partner is able to visit between 9am – 8.30pm. An additional adult visitor is able to attend between 2-5 pm and 6.30-8pm. Maximum of two visitors at the bedside at any one time.

Postnatal (Ward 21): One support partner and siblings are able to visit between 9am – 8.30pm. An additional adult visitor is able to attend between 2-5 pm and 6.30-8pm. Maximum of two adult visitors, plus siblings, at the bedside at any one time.

Antenatal and Ultrasound Appointments: One support partner is able to accompany each woman to their booking appointment (at around 12 weeks), 16 weeks, 25 weeks, 28 weeks, 31 weeks, 34 weeks, 36 weeks, 38 weeks, 40 weeks and 41 weeks. Please be aware that children should not be brought to appointments

Neonatal: Two parents, or a parent and named guardian, are able to visit the unit together and have access to the unit at any time, day or night

We understand that there may be exceptional circumstances in some cases, so please speak to your midwife or care team prior to attending the hospital to discuss any requirements you may have.

Emergency Departments

Patients attending the Emergency Department, Surgical Assessment Unit or Medical Assessment Unit can be accompanied by two nominated people. The people supporting the patient should remain consistent and not change. Additional support may be permitted in exceptional circumstances.

Outpatient and Diagnostic areas

Patients attending outpatient appointments can be accompanied by a nominated person to support them.

Speciality areas

Compassionate visiting remains in place for people attending Day Case Units and Departments, examples of areas this applies to are Endoscopy, Chemotherapy Unit, Renal Unit, and the Haematology Unit.

Specific Needs

You can accompany someone into our hospitals if you are:

  • Supporting them and the patient has a mental health issue such as dementia; a learning disability or autism where not being present would cause the patient to be distressed
  • A carer for a vulnerable patient, or interpreter
  • Supporting them at an outpatient appointment where they may become distressed

Thank you for your cooperation and help in this.

Stay in touch with patients

Please remember there are a range of options to keep in touch with patients whilst they are in hospital:

  • Our Chaplaincy Team are on hand to offer support
  • Patients can access ward iPads/mobile phones if they do not have their own
  • Items can be purchased over the phone from our League of Friends shops and then delivered to your loved one. Royal Shrewsbury Hospital: 01743 261008 / Princess Royal Hospital: 01952 641222

Dropping off items for patients

With some visiting restrictions still in place, it is important to keep patients connected with the people who are important to them.

We have a patient property drop off service to enable relatives/friends to drop off essential items and collect any items the patient wishes to send home. Only one relative or friend should come on to the site to bring the bag.

The service runs from 9am – 4pm, 7 days a week (excluding Bank Holidays) at the designated drop off areas. These are:

  • The Ward Block entrance at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
  • The Main Entrance at the Princess Royal Hospital.

Please click here to access the site map.

Important information:

Only 1 bag of essential belongings can be dropped off. The bag should be wipeable and no bigger than approximately 60cm x 60cm.

The bag must be labelled with the following information:

  • Patient’s name and date of birth (if known),
  • The ward the patient is on, and
  • The name and telephone number of the person dropping the bag off.

You will be asked to show your ID when you arrive to confirm your identity.

You will also be asked to fill in a form to confirm the items which have been dropped off/collected.

What to Bring: What not to bring:
  • Toiletries,
  • Clothing items,
  • Glasses, dentures, and hearing aids,
  • Toothbrush and hairbrush,
  • Mobile phone/tablet,
  • Headphones,
  • Chargers,
  • Books/magazines,
  • A letter for your loved one or photograph,
  • Small items of food that do not need to go in the fridge (e.g. biscuits, fruit squash).
  • Large bags or cases,
  • Valuables (e.g. jewellery),
  • Large amounts of money,
  • Flowers, plants or balloons,
  • Glass or breakable containers,
  • Cooked or uncooked meals, and
  • Sharp items, aerosols and other items that may pose a risk.

Unable to drop items off?

For people unable to access the drop off and collection service due to distance or self-isolation, the League of Friends shop at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Friends of PRH shop at the Princess Royal Hospital will deliver items to loved ones.

Purchases such as: newspapers (to help keep in touch with the outside world), toiletries, magazines, cards, and small items of food that do not need to go in the fridge (e.g. biscuits). Purchases are subject to a £5 minimum and your card details will be taken over the phone

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital: Email: lee.herkes@nhs.net Phone: 01743 261008

Princess Royal Hospital: 01952 641222 ext: 4211

Changes to parking

Car parking charges for visitors and patients have now been re-introduced at our hospitals. More information about parking charges is available here

Information for pregnant women

Information for pregnant women, including frequently asked questions, is available on our maternity services page.

Help and Support

e-library and audio books

  • Calibre Audio is a charity which lend free audiobooks for anyone who is print disabled
  • You can join an online library to access e-books, magazines and audiobooks: Shropshire e-Library
  • If you feel isolated and need someone to talk to or need practical help: Campaign to End Loneliness
  • Age UK have a 24 hour chat line: 0800 4708090
  • Age Cymru is offering a check in and chat telephone service for the over 70s in Wales who live alone: 0800 223 444 or online.

Measures announced to help limit the spread of Coronavirus include people staying at home wherever possible. However, there are some circumstances in which help and support may be needed. No matter what the circumstances are, there is never an excuse for domestic abuse.

Staying in touch

Whilst it is a difficult time due to coronavirus and there are restrictions in place which prevent you from seeing family and friends who may be receiving treatment and care within the hospital, there are ways you can stay in touch or let them know that you are thinking of them.

Telephone or Video Call

There is free NHS WiFi available across the Trust. If the person you care about is in hospital and they have a mobile phone or tablet with them then you can contact them by telephone or video call. Another option is to record a message for them which they can listen to or watch.

Send a Comfort Pebble

If someone you care about is being treated for coronavirus then you can send them a comfort pebble to let them know that you are thinking of them. Comfort pebbles have been introduced to enable the person you care for to have something that they can hold and keep close to them as a reminder of their family and friends who are thinking of them. CLICK HERE TO SEND A PEBBLE.

Send a Message

Do you have a loved one staying in one of our hospitals? You can now brighten their day by sending them a message that will be safely printed and delivered to them! For more information and to send your message please visit the Send Your Message page.

Video Call

Links for how to stay in touch using:

WhatsApp:

If you can’t find the resources you are looking for they may be available through Health Education England, information is frequently added from trusted sources and has sections tailored for children and young people, older people, people who require information in accessible formats:  https://library.nhs.uk/coronavirus-resources/

Healthwatch Shropshire wants to know how the current pandemic is affecting people in Shropshire, their well-being, how they are finding useful information, how they are being supported, what helps them cope and how their experience of health and social care has been affected. You can read more and take the survey on the Healthwatch Website.

Information in other formats & languages

Every Mind Matters, top ten tips:

Bengali
Gujarati 
Polish 
Punjabi 
Romani 
Romanian 
Russian 
Somali 
Urdu 

Books beyond words are books with no text – they have no language barrier, and can be easier to understand. The books can be used by the images alone or through looking at the images with someone who shares the story with you. The books help the person to tell the story in their own words and start discussion on what is seen.

Want to Help?

An incredible amount of people have messaged us with kind offers of support, including food, accommodation and donations. This support is invaluable to us. If you think you can help, then please email us at we.supportsath@nhs.net – please include details and any contact information and a member of the team will get back to you.

PPE
If you/your company would like to donate or help with PPE then please visit our dedicated PPE Page.

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