VISITING restrictions have been put in place on the inpatient wards at Nenagh Hospital due to the increased level of COVID-related activity within the hospital and in the community at present.

A spokesperson for UL Hospitals Group said, “We regret the inconvenience these access restrictions cause for inpatients. The decision has been taken to help keep all our patients, their loved ones, and our staff safe, and to ensure essential hospital services can remain open for patients.

“The situation is being monitored on a daily basis, and hospital management hopes to reintroduce visiting to relatives of inpatients as soon as it is safe to do so.

“We wish to reassure patients and their loved ones that all appropriate infection control precautions are being followed to minimise the risk of spreading infection among staff and patients within our health facilities, and also within the wider community. All other services in the hospital continue to operate as normal.

The only exceptions, on a case-by-case basis, to the visiting restrictions on both wards are: People assisting confused patients (e.g. dementia); People visiting patients who are critically unwell or at end of life. These exemptions are limited to one person per patient only.