VISITOR restrictions have been introduced on two wards at University Hospital Limerick following an outbreak of Covid-19. Contact tracing and testing of staff and patients is underway and staff are now, in line with the national guidance, putting into effect all the appropriate infection control measures to mitigate the risk to patients and staff. Visiting on the two affected wards has now been restricted to compassionate grounds only and relatives and loved ones have been informed of same. Visiting on other inpatient wards is unaffected and is facilitated by prior arrangement. University Hospital Limerick is now facilitating scheduled timed visiting slots for in-patients and their visitors, during the hours of 2- to 4pm and 6 to 9pm daily. These slots are coordinated by clinical nurse managers and ward clerks in consultation with patients and their families and loved ones. These scheduled visiting slots are for inpatients only. The Emergency Department, Acute Surgical Assessment Unit, and Acute Medical Assessment Unit at …
Read More »McNamara criticises uses of perspex for visitors in nursing homes
Independent Deputy Michael McNamara plans to raise the use of perspex to screen visitors from patients in residential care facilities with Health Minister Simon Harris. While Deputy McNamara accepts that precautions have to be taken to minimise the risk of spreading Covid-19 between patients and staff, he is concerned about the use of perspex in nursing home during visiting times. “You visit people in a prison through perspex. I am very concerned about this. People in nursing homes are not in some kind of prison or some type of a biblical leper colony. “The idea of seeing you loved ones through a perspex screen is not acceptable. I have no problem in accepting that Covid-19 poses a huge risk of nursing homes and precautions need to be taken. “As someone who spent a considerable length of time visiting someone very close to me in a nursing home up to quite recently this shocks and appals me,” he said. Gerry O’Malley …
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