Appointments

Please attend appointments on your own to help maintain physical distancing and avoid waiting areas becoming overcrowded. If you have been driven to a hospital please ask friends or family members to drop you off and return to pick you up later or wait for you in the hospital car park. This is particularly important in the Emergency Department, Outpatient Department, X-ray Department and Minor Injuries Unit as these areas can be very busy.

However, in certain circumstances one person can attend with a patient – this includes:

• when a person may have difficulty understanding what treatment or course of action a clinician is discussing
• where a person has dementia, a learning disability or autism
• where a person is receiving bad news or information that is potentially life-changing
• where a person is receiving a cancer diagnosis or discussing cancer treatment options
• accompanying a pregnant woman to an appointment or scan (this would be a birth partner in most instances)
• where a person is distressed or stressed

Preparing for an operation

Patients must strictly follow the national public health guidance on physical distancing, wearing face coverings and, in particular, reduce their social contacts/interactions for 10 days before surgery and self-isolate for 3 days before their operation.

If you receive an appointment for a Covid-19 vaccine for during this 10-day period you should call the local Covid-19 vaccination helpline on 0800 130 3120 to reschedule your appointment. Ideally your vaccine should be given more than ten days before your surgery or one week after.

For further information and advice see the Pre-surgery Advice and Guidance.

Visiting Arrangements

More flexible, person centred visiting arrangements were introduced across NHS Forth Valley on a phased basis from 16th August 2021.

Patients now have access to visitors throughout the day and are no longer be required to make appointments in advance, unless patients are in a four-bedded area, please check with ward staff in advance of visiting.

There is no restriction to the length of time you can visit or the number of individual visits, however we do ask that there are a maximum of 2 visitors at any one time.

There are no restrictions on time or the number of people providing support for patients receiving end of life care.

• Antenatal appointments and scans – you can bring one person with you to appointments and scans
• Labour and birth – you can have one birth partner throughout induction, labour and birth (except during a general anaesthetic) and a second birth partner, if requested, subject to local risk assessments and physical distancing. One birth partner and a another designated visitor subject can visit after the birth.
• Neonatal visiting – both parents/primary care givers are supported to have maximum access to their baby together. Visits by siblings may also be possible, particularly where a baby is expected to remain in neonatal care for a longer period of time.
• Children’s Ward – patients in the Children’s Ward can have visits from both parents/care givers as well as a named visitor. However, a maximum of two people should visit at one time to support physical distancing.

Visitors may be asked to stagger visits or limit the length of their visit to help keep staff and patients safe but staff will try to be as flexible as possible.

See the NHS Forth Valley patient visiting information leaflet for further information.

Before and during your visit

Visitors be asked to provide their contact details for Test & Protect purposes. You are strongly encouraged to have a voluntary Lateral Flow Test prior to visiting and then undertake these tests twice a week.

You should not visit if you:

• Are feeling unwell
• Have a new or continuous cough
• Have had sickness or diarrhoea within the last 48 hrs
• Have had a temperature or fever
• Have experienced any change to your normal sense of taste or smell
• Are self isolating because you have been in contact with someone with suspected or confirmed Covid-19

Visitors should:

• Maintain physical distancing wherever possible
• Wear a surgical face mask – these are available at hospital entrances
• Use hand sanitiser before you enter the hospital and before and after you enter a ward or department or touch anything
• Wear PPE, if required
• Take the stairs, if possible, to avoid overcrowding in lifts which are restricted to a maximum of two people

Shops, Toilets & Food Outlets

The restaurant at Forth Valley Royal Hospital is not currently open to the public.