VISITORS to a Suffolk hospital will today find themselves at the centre of an exercise designed to train staff to deal with a major swine flu outbreak.

Laurence Cawley

VISITORS to a Suffolk hospital will today find themselves at the centre of an exercise designed to train staff to deal with a major swine flu outbreak.

Today, access to West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds is being controlled through the main entrance, rear entrance and accident and emergency, with everybody who walks through the door being asked to clean their hands using gel washes and mobile sinks.

All other entrances to the hospital are closed and will reopen later today.

Signs have been placed at all entrances to inform visitors about the exercise, while staff are also on hand to offer help wherever needed.

“Although the current swine flu outbreak has proven very mild, there is a risk of it returning in the autumn or winter,” said Nichole Day, executive chief nurse at West Suffolk Hospital. “This exercise is designed to ensure that we are fully prepared should that happen.

“Good hand hygiene is key to stopping the spread of almost any infection, so throughout today we'll be testing the practices we have in place to make sure they are effective and that we can continue to provide essential services should an outbreak occur.

“We are asking everyone who comes to the hospital, including patients, friends, relatives, business visitors and staff, to get involved to help us make the day a success by cleaning their hands when they arrive and before they leave.

“By testing the practices we have in place now, we can iron out any issues which may arise before we need to use the procedures in a real outbreak. We would like to thank everyone using the hospital throughout today in advance for their help and cooperation.”