After several months of a no visitors policy, Ipswich and Colchester hospitals will finally be allowing visits next week with a new set of rules.

New guidance has been published and from Monday June 15 the East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) will be allowing one visitor per day to patients who have been in hospital for more than 48 hours.

The visits will be limited to 45 minutes and have to be booked in advance by ringing the ward which is caring for the patient.

Staggered times have been set from 10am until 9pm and slots can be booked between 10am and 3pm over the phone.

Visits to each patient will be limited to a maximum of three different people during their stay in hospital, but have to be booked by the person closest to the patient, such as their next of kin.

Visitors are required to bring their own face coverings to wear, adhere to social distancing and to avoid lingering in shops or communal areas.

Some areas of the hospital, such as critical care, will remain closed for now however virtual visiting is still encouraged via the letters to loved ones scheme, family liaison teams and digital calls.

Numbers for individual wards can be found on the ESNEFT website.