Hospital trust relaxes rules to allow relatives to say a final goodbye to loved ones dying of coronavirus after nurse called national ban on visits ‘cruel beyond belief’
- All hospitals in England, Scotland and Wales have banned or restricted visits
- Royal University Hospital Bath has lifted the ban to allow entire families in
- It comes after a dad in Hyde heard a dying patient call out for his family
- Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID
A hospital reversed its ban on dying Covid-19 patients getting one last visit from a relative days after a nurse said the national ban on visits was ‘cruel beyond belief.’
Royal University Hospital Bath had stopped families visiting dying coronavirus patients altogether, but continued to allow relatives to visit hospital patients who were dying from non Covid-19 related illnesses.
‘The reality for many people is that the last they will see of their loved on is them being loaded into an ambulance and then being totally isolated from them as they die, eventually receiving a phone call informing them of their deterioration and eventual death,’ one nurse wrote to SomersetLive.
Following the anonymous nurse’s letter, Royal University Hospital Bath looks to have eased restrictions and is starting to allow one relative visit a dying loved one.
One family member can now visit a loved one who is dying from coronavirus at the Royal University Hospital Bath. NHS England had originally advised hospital trusts not to allow visitors on to Covid-19 wards
A statement from the hospital read: ‘Across the NHS, visiting hospital Trusts has been suspended except in exceptional circumstances, such as end of life care.
‘After careful consideration, we believe that we can, in some situations, safely support end of life visits for those with COVID-19, or awaiting test results.
‘We are pleased to have been able to change our position on this as it is very important that where possible we support patients and their loved ones at these most difficult moments.
‘We are also encouraging other ways of keeping in touch with patients during this time such as using mobile phones, other technology or our dedicated messaging service.’
Intensive care staff will be aware of the family member’s visit and will be able to dress them in protective gear before they meet their loved one.
Last week Craig Farley-Jones told how he heard a dying Covid-19 patient spend his final hours crying out for his family.
Speaking on his experience on the intensive care ward at Tameside General Hospital, the father of two said: ‘I will never forget those next two hours for as long as I live. He was shouting out, calling for his family by name, over and over while struggling to breathe.
Intensive care staff will be aware of the family member’s visit and will be able to dress them in protective gear before they meet their loved one
Father-of-two Craig Farley-Jones spent six days on the intensive care ward at Tameside General Hospital, where he said he heard a man call out for his family as he died
‘It had me in tears, it was so hard to listen to. I buzzed the nurses, but they told me there was nothing more they could do for him.
‘So I lay there listening to his breathing turning into a death rattle, he continued calling out into it stopped and was quiet – he had gone.
‘I know he wasn’t in physical pain at that point, but he was definitely in emotional distress.
‘I wouldn’t have let a dog die like that.’