Covid-19 updates
Throughout the pandemic we have been working hard to continue providing round the clock care for patients and their loved ones.
Visitor arrangements at St Catherine’s Hospice are being updated from Thursday 19th August 2021. Patients will be able to receive 2 visitors each day between the hours of 13.00-16:00. In order to keep patients, visitors and staff safe we have introduced some control measures described below that you must be aware of prior to visiting a patient. All hospice patients are vulnerable to the Coronavirus.
1. For any patient who is COVID-19 positive visiting will not be permitted, including on admission.
2. For any patient who is symptomatic of Covid 19 and awaiting test results visiting will not be permitted. Test results are usually available in 24 hours and visiting will then be reviewed.
3. If you are displaying any symptoms of Covid-19 it is important you do not visit the hospice.
4. Each visitor will be screened to ensure they do not have a high temperature. You will also be asked if you have a new continuous cough or a loss of or change in your normal taste or smell. In the event that you have a temperature of 37.80c or above, a cough, or loss of taste or smell you will be unable to visit a patient.
5. If you have arrived from abroad in the previous 10 days you will not be permitted to visit the hospice and national guidance re self- isolation should be followed.
6. Patients will be permitted two visitors per day from a nominated list of up to eight individuals. Changes to the list of eight nominated visitors will not be permitted.
7. On admission to the hospice patients will be tested for Covid-19. Up to 2 visitors will be permitted to be present on the day of admission to support the patient and admission process. Visiting will then be permitted once the patient has a negative result.
8. In addition to the nominated list of 8 adult visitors, a minister or priest is also allowed to visit to meet the spiritual needs of the patient. PPE must be worn and the same checks take place as for other visitors.
9. Children under 18 years old can visit a patient if they live in the same household when accompanied with an adult. The number of children able to visit at any one time will be discussed on a case by case basis.
10. When a patient wishes to see their grandchildren, one visit per grandchild for up to an hour can be arranged when accompanied by an adult.
11. 11 year old’s and over must wear face masks and sanitise their hands and under 11 years old’s must sanitise their hands.
12. All visitors will enter the Hospice via the main reception area and must have had a negative lateral flow test before entering the hospice. When you arrive at reception you must use the hand gel provided and you will be provided with a medical grade face mask. You will then be given further instructions about what to expect from the visit including wearing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and leaving after your visit.
13. From 21st June 2021 All visitors will be required to perform a lateral flow daily by testing at home and providing proof of a negative home test by text message or email received from the government website following result submission.
14. Following updated Government guidance regarding isolation if you have been in contact with a person who has tested positive for covid-19, the following approach will be taken where this affects visitors to St Catherine’s Hospice inpatient unit:
• Please do not attend the hospice and arrange for a Covid-19 PCR test
• When the result of the PCR is known, please contact the inpatient unit and ask to speak with the nurse co-ordinator to update
• If Covid-19 PCR is positive, you must not visit the hospice until your isolation period has been completed as per national government guidance
• If Covid-19 PCR is negative, we will advise against visiting if you are a contact unless absolutely necessary – the hospice team will support individualised discussions as part of this decision making
• If visiting is permitted/agreed, please continue to complete a LFT prior to each visit and only attend the hospice if the test is negative and you do not have any symptoms of Covid-19.
• LFT are already being requested prior to each visit for all visitors and this will continue until further notice
• In exceptional circumstances, where for example a patient is rapidly deteriorating towards end of life and there is insufficient time for the visitor to conduct a PCR test, we will discuss with you and agree an individual risk assessment (balancing whether this was a brief contact verses ongoing household contact) and consider whether the visit can go ahead without a PCR result with additional precautions, including the need for a negative LFT result on arrival.
15. Visiting will be open each day between the hours of 13.00-16.00. These times will minimise potential virus spread by reducing contact between visitors and clinicians.
16. All visitors will be required to wear PPE: a mask, apron, visor and gloves at all times. These will be issued on arrival and you will be shown how to wear the PPE correctly.
17. Visitors will be asked to scan the QR code on arrival if they are able to and provide a contact telephone number for track and trace purposes.
18. Visitors are invited to arrive any time from 12:45 hours onwards. This is to give you time to sign in and put on your PPE. You will be required to queue along the corridor at 2 metre distances and chairs are provided.
19. If you are visiting a patient who is thought to be in their last days of life visiting arrangements will be discussed with you.
20. Where clinicians are required to care for a patient you will be required to go into the conservatory temporarily.
21. When visiting ends at 16.00 a bell will be rung and you will be guided from the Hospice in a phased manner.
22. Refreshments will be available during visiting time in the conservatory, for visitors to make themselves a drink. Disposable cups will be available and must be consumed in patents’ rooms and disposed of in the domestic bin in the patient’s room.
23. Please can visitors ensure any items brought for patients are brought into the hospice in a plastic bag. The empty plastic bag can then be placed in the yellow bin in the patient’s room.
IN ORDER TO KEEP PATIENTS AND STAFF SAFE IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT ALL VISITORS ADHERE TO THIS GUIDANCE. IN THE EVENT THAT THIS IS NOT FOLLOWED IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO MAKE FURTHER RESTRICTIONS. THIS IS NOT WHAT WE WOULD WISH FOR.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND COOPERATION.
Our Covid privacy notice
Covid-19 and your information
This Privacy Notice explains how St Catherine’s (Lancashire) Ltd, and our affiliated trading company St Catherine’s Trading, our lottery company St Catherine’s Promotions and The Mill (St Catherine’s Social Enterprise) will use your personal data in order to meet the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Herein’ referred to as St Catherine’s.
Please read this privacy notice together with St Catherine’s general privacy statement here which contains more detailed information about our data processing.
St Catherine’s has decided to collect and keep a limited record of staff, patients and visitors who come onto our premises for the purpose of contact tracing. By maintaining records of staff, patients and visitors and sharing these with NHS Test and Trace where requested, we can help to identify people who may have been exposed to the Coronavirus.
NHS Test and Trace is part of the Department for Health and Social Care, in England
If you would like more information on the Government Track and Trace service, please click here.
Our legal basis for processing your information
We use your personal data in line with the rules set out in the General Data Protection Regulations Article 6 (1) (e) – public task.
What information do we collect?
As a visitor to St Catherine’s, you will be asked to provide some basic contact details. The following information will be collected:
• The names of all visitors, or if it is a group of people, the name of one member of the group.
• A contact phone number or email address for each visitor, or one member of a group of people.
• Date of visit and arrival and departure time.How and why we ask you to share your personal information
We collect and process information, including personal information, to enable contacts of known COVID-19 sufferers to be identified, contacted and an assessment of their risk of catching COVID-19 be made and advice provided to those at high risk..
Consent
If you do not wish your contact information to be passed to NHS Test and Trace if requested, please speak to a member of staff.
Who we share your personal data with
We will only share information with NHS Test and Trace if it is specifically requested by them. For example, if another visitor or member of staff at the hospice reported symptoms and subsequently tested positive, NHS Test and Trace can request a log of visitors details for a particular time period (e.g. this may be all who visited on a particular day or time-band, over a two-day period).
NHS Test and Trace will not disclose this information to any third party unless required to do so by law (e.g. as a result of receiving a court order).
How long do we keep your personal information?
NHS Test and Trace have asked us to retain this information for 21 days from the date of your visit, to enable con tact tracing to be carried out by NHS Test and Trace during that period.
However, the government guidance may also cover information that we should usually collect and hold onto as part of our ordinary dealings with you (e.g. your name and contact details). Where this is the case, this information only will continue to be held after 21 days and we will use it as we would usually, unless and until you tell us differently.
Your information will always be stored and used in compliance with the relevant data protection legislation.
