LIMITED visiting has been reintroduced on most wards at West Suffolk Hospital in the wake of an outbreak of the winter vomiting virus.

Laurence Cawley

LIMITED visiting has been reintroduced on most wards at West Suffolk Hospital in the wake of an outbreak of the winter vomiting virus.

The hospital closed to visitors three weeks ago after a number of patients and staff showed symptoms of the highly contagious diarrhoea and vomiting virus.

As the outbreak has now subsided, visiting is being reinstated to some wards during the evenings from 7pm until 8pm.

All wards will remain closed during the afternoons until further notice while extra cleaning takes place.

Dr Caroline Barker, infection control doctor at the hospital, said: “We would like to thank patients and visitors for their patience and cooperation which has helped us to bring this outbreak under control.

“The number of people at the hospital who are still showing symptoms of the virus has reduced significantly. As such, we are now able to reintroduce limited visiting in most of our wards.

“We are still asking anyone who comes to the hospital to use antimicrobial handrub, which is available in the foyer, when arriving or leaving the building. To help protect both our patients and the visitors themselves, we would also ask people to please wash their hands with soap and water when arriving or leaving the wards.

“Because the situation could still change, it is also possible that the number of wards which open to visitors may alter on a daily basis. As such, we would urge anyone planning to visit the hospital to check with switchboard before they leave home to save themselves a potentially wasted journey.

“As ever, we would urge anyone who is feeling unwell, or has had diarrhoea or vomiting during the past 72 hours, to stay away until they have fully recovered.”

Anyone planning to visit the hospital should contact the switchboard, on 01284 713000, before leaving home for the latest information on which wards are open.