Person Centred Visiting – Mental Health Information

On admission to the ward, you will be asked about your preferences for visitors, and we will make a record of your views. Your family and/or significant others can also contribute to this. We aim to capture your wishes about being visited in hospital. We will record this on a visiting form which will be kept with your care plan.

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. 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.

In Mental Health wards where visiting can only take place in dining rooms, family support during mealtimes should be discussed and agreed as part of individual visiting plans and care plans, in conjunction with the individual, the people who matter to them and staff.

When someone is in hospital, the importance of maintaining family connections with their children is important. We will discuss this with you and your family at admission. Where possible, we will facilitate visits in a designated family area.

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. Hand any electrical equipment to staff for safety checking.

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 relative.

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 relatives with the opportunity to feedback to staff on how the visit has gone and ask any questions regarding this.