This page provides information on Person Centred visiting in our mental health wards.
Please visit our Information About Visiting page for information on visiting arrangements, guidance and safety measures everyone must follow when visiting all other wards.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are the person in hospital
On admission to the ward, you will be asked about your preferences for visitors. Your family and/or significant others can also contribute to this. We will record this on a visiting form which will be kept with your care plan.
Can my children visit?
The importance of maintaining family connections with your children, when you are in hospital, is important. We will discuss this with you and your family at admission and during your hospital stay. Where possible, we will facilitate visits in a designated family area.
If you are the visitor
We have no set visiting times. This means you can be here to support your family member or friend at any time during the day. Please discuss with your family member or friend what they would like in terms of visits and what times would work best for you both, then talk to ward staff about your plans.
There may be times when visiting takes place in a communal area or visiting room, the nursing staff will advise where visiting is offered in each ward.
Should you need to access an area out with the dedicated visiting area, please speak to the nurse in charge.
Can I visit during mealtimes?
In those Mental Health wards where visiting can only take place in dining rooms, family support during mealtimes will be discussed and agreed as part of individual visiting and care plans, in conjunction with the individual, the people who matter to them and staff.
As a visitor, what safety measures do I need to follow?
To ensure a safe environment and that of yourself and others, please discuss with the nurse in charge what is safe and not safe to take into the ward. Examples of items not deemed safe are glass bottles, knifes, medications and plastic bags. Any electrical equipment should be handed into staff to be safety checked.
Can I take my family member out of the ward when I visit?
We recognise the benefits of having the opportunity to spend time with those visiting away from the immediate ward. However, there may be times when this is not possible. Please discuss this with the nurse in charge, and always let the nurse in charge know when you are going out of the ward with your family member.
Returning following time off the ward with family member
It is important for staff to know when patients have returned to the ward. This ensures that staff maintain overall safety and activity on the ward, and allows staff to plan therapeutic engagement. In addition, this provides family members with the opportunity to feedback to staff on how the visit has gone and ask any questions regarding this.
Take a virtual tour of the Neonatal Unit in the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.
The easy to navigate virtual tour experience will allow you to navigate your way through the neonatal unit and experience its sights and sounds. You will also be able to learn about the unit from members of the neonatal team and from parents who have experienced neonatal care with their baby.
Tour Highlights
Virtual 360 walk through of the neonatal unit
Interactive features to engage the unit environment.
Learn about the state of the equipment used to care for your baby
Meet the neonatal team and understand their roles
Family support – explore resources and facilities available for babies and families
Parent experience – hear directly from families in the neonatal unit
Understand what to expect and how you will be involved in your baby’s care
Immersive sounds
Translation and audio description
You can view the virtual tour of the unit below, but if you have issues seeing or using it, you can view it in a new tab which may help.
Welcome to the Ward / Department posters are in place at all ward/department entrances to provide at a glance essential information for visitors to the area.
Led by the NHSGGC Sustainability team and the expertise of award winning landscape architects Erz the RAH pond refurbishment radically transformed the outdoor space within the Royal Alexandra Hospital Campus.
Awards
The RAH Pond won the Sustainability Award at the NHS Assure Awards at Crieff Hypro, the project was managed by Eugene Lafferty before his retirement.
This project involves the restoration of a neglected and overgrown pond and woodland area to provide a quiet and reflective spot where staff, patients and members of the local community can spend time in nature, and where wildlife can thrive.
Improvements includes a new pathway circuit around the pond with a wooden boardwalk and interpretation signage; new benches and seating; natural play equipment; and a ‘living archway’.
All these elements have demonstrably improved nature, biodiversity and staff and patient wellbeing.
The £10.7m purpose built wards, represent the latest in clinical thinking and design and mark the future of inpatient care in mental health facilities.
The new facilities which opened in September 2020 offer light, airy and welcoming spaces for patients, their families and staff. A key highlight is the internal garden courtyard landscaped with flowers and herbs which provides a peaceful space for contemplation and visiting.
Awards
Winner at the Scottish Property Awards for Health Care Development of the Year 2021
Finalist at the Scottish Property Awards for the Architectural Excellence Award (Public Use) 2021
Finalist at the Scottish Property Awards for Development of the Year (Public Building) 2021
Regional Finalist at the Civic Trust Awards 2022
