Macclesfield Hospital visitor restrictions

East Cheshire NHS Trust, which operates Macclesfield District General Hospital, has been been left with no option but to introduce visitor restrictions in response to the surge in the Omicron variant in the area.

The only people allowed to visit are immediate family members or carers of patients who are receiving end of life care and those with ‘a mental health issue such as dementia, a learning disability or autism where not being present would cause the patient to be distressed’.

The new rules came in on New Year’s Eve and will be in place ‘until further notice’, according to an update posted on the Trust’s website.

The update read: “To protect our patients and staff, we have unfortunately made the difficult decision to restrict visiting at the trust from December 31 2021 until further notice. This is to reduce the spread of infection following the new Omicron variant.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused for family members outside of the above criteria who have already made visiting arrangements. Staff will be contacting you directly to advise you of the new measures.

“These restrictions will be under regular review and updated to reflect any changes in the guidance.”

Alongside these rules, anyone visiting the hospital has been urged to wear a face mask ‘to help protect patients, staff and visitors and to help prevent the spread of Covid-19’.

It came after the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust confirmed that it had suspended visiting once again as of December 29 and is now only permitted in ‘exceptional circumstances’.