Visiting a patient

Visitor guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic

To maintain a safe environment for patients and our hospital teams please adhere to the following guidelines.

• Outpatients may have a companion accompany them to their appointments, however we do encourage patients to attend alone.
• Inpatients may have visitors throughout the day, in addition to any companions. There should be a maximum of two visitors in your room at any time, and we encourage you to minimise the number of visitors you have during your stay.
• Children on our Skyline ward may continue to have one parent/carer to stay with them and can have additional visitors between 7am and 10pm.
• All visitors will be given a new facemask (provided by us) which must be worn for the duration of their visit.
• At present, we discourage children from visiting patients staying at the hospital.
• Visitors must not come into the hospital if they have any symptoms of coronavirus (Covid-19) or any other viral illness including respiratory and gastrointestinal viruses. Guidance on Covid-19 symptoms are available via the GOV.UK website.
• Inpatients who are isolating at the hospital because of coronavirus are not permitted to have visitors during their isolation period.

Visiting Cromwell Hospital

Official visiting times are 7am to 10pm every day, however, mornings are frequently busy with patients receiving treatments. During Covid-19, visiting outside of these times is at the discretion of the nurse in charge.

ITU visiting hours are 11am to 1pm, and 5pm to 7pm daily.

If you are visiting a child staying in our children and young people's ward, you can visit any time up to 8pm. Immediate family may stay with the child overnight.

If you have any questions or special requests, please get in touch before your visit and we will do our best to accommodate it.

Where do I go when I arrive at the hospital?

Please go to the main reception each time you visit and ask for a visitor pass. These electronic passes let you into the patient’s ward and are programmed to last for a certain amount of time.

How do I protect patients from outside germs?

Anti-bacterial gel is available throughout the hospital. Please wash your hands before and after contact with a patient to help us keep the hospital infection free.

If you have a cough, cold, upset stomach or any other potentially infectious condition, please contact the ward before visiting.

Please also avoid sitting on the patient’s bed, there are comfortable chairs in the room especially for visitors.

Can I send a patient letters and parcels?

Post is delivered to patients throughout the day. Please make sure all parcels are clearly labelled with the patient’s name and our full address:

Cromwell Hospital
164-178 Cromwell Road
London
SW5 0TU

How can I be a considerate visitor?

• Please supervise children at all times. 
• Please keep noise levels down on the wards and in communal areas – many patients will be resting and recovering
• Please do not bring in cooked food which needs storage or heating
• Smoking is not permitted anywhere on the hospital premises
• Snacks and gifts, such as fruit, sweets and magazines are welcome on the wards
• Please do not bring flowers into intensive care, as they can spread infection

Confidentiality

We know that you are worried about your loved one and may have some questions to ask us.

Our patient’s confidentiality is of the utmost importance to us, therefore before we tell you anything about a patient’s condition or treatment, we’ll need to seek their permission first.

If a friend or relative is having a procedure, the ward nurse will let you know when you can call for an update.

Accessibility at Cromwell Hospital

For blind and partially blind visitors

We are implementing a 'Map for All'. The Map for All is a unique product developed and produced by RNIB and is intended for use by people of all ages and abilities. They can be read by sight, by touch, or a combination of both and are designed with ‘access for all’ as the core principle.

RNIB Map for All allows blind and partially sighted people to be more independent when visiting a wide variety of buildings and venues, contributing to a more inclusive lifestyle.

For deaf and partially deaf visitors

Hearing loops - we have hearing loops installed at all our reception desks within the hospital. These improve the sound quality if you use hearing aids.

To use the hearing loop please turn your hearing aid to the T position. If you are experiencing problems, please speak to one of our reception team who will be able to help.

Portable hearing devices - these are available for use around the hospital, specifically to aid communication with hearing impaired people who have the “T” position on their hearing aid. If you require a portable hearing device, please let the reception team know upon your arrival.