CASES of vomiting and diarrhoea have now reduced to just 10 across the Countess of Chester Hospital, which has allowed the trust to begin the process of re-opening wards to visitors.
However, although restrictions on visiting wards have now been reduced, as norovirus is still in the community, current visiting times – which can be viewed on the Countess’s website - will stay in place while the trust reviews all hospital visiting hours and consults with patients, visitors and staff.
Like most of the nation, the Countess of Chester’s activities have been affected throughout January due to the national outbreak of the virus, which is reported to have affected approximately three million people throughout the UK.
However, as the affects of the virus begin to subside, staff at the Countess are keen to emphasise their appreciation to all patients and members of the public in what has been a stressful and inconvenient time.
Director of Nursing and Patient Services, Gaynor Hales, said: “We’d like to stress our thanks to patients and members of the public for being so understanding and co-operative throughout the last month when we have had strict infection control measures in place to control the spread of norovirus.
“We sincerely understand the inconvenience and stress that the visitor restrictions have caused, but it would appear that our strong community spirit has shone through, allowing us to work together to tackle the problem and we hope that our strict and thorough measures have demonstrated our commitment to offering the highest quality service.”
As norovirus is still in the community, if you are worried about vomiting & diarrhoea symptoms, please contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647 or ask for a telephone consultation with your GP.
