Vomiting virus warning at Paignton and Dawlish hospitals
HOSPITAL staff are appealing to families and friends wanting to visit patients in Paignton and Dawlish hospitals to stay away to help reduce the spread of the winter sickness bug Norovirus.
Torbay and Southern Devon Health and Care NHS Trust, which runs community hospitals in the area, has put restrictions in place on two wards - one at each hospital - due to diarrhoea and vomiting.
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Nurse
As a temporary measure both hospitals will not be taking new inpatient admissions.
However, all other services - including outpatient services, minor injuries units and theatres - are operating as usual.
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A trust spokesman said: "If you are due to attend an outpatient appointment or have surgery and have felt unwell, or actually had diarrhoea or vomiting in the last 48 hours, then please ring the Hospital and let them know before attending."
Natalie Illingworth, Infection Control Specialist Nurse at the Trust, said the support of the local community is vital if more wards are not to be put at risk.
She said: “We know that people place great value on being able to visit loved ones in hospital but during periods when we are experiencing infection outbreaks in the community and in hospitals they can unknowingly be putting patients’ health at real risk.
“We have a strict approach to hygiene to prevent cross infection between patients. Closure of wards to visitors and new patients is an important infection control measure that both hospitals use because Norovirus spreads very easily through contact with anyone who already has the bug. We are urging all potential visitors not to visit the inpatient wards at both Paignton and Dawlish Community Hospital unless absolutely necessary, especially if they have felt unwell in the last 48 hours.”
Contact can be arranged with patients via telephone by calling the hospitals direct on:
• Paignton Hospital: 01803 547171
• Dawlish Hospital: 01626 868500.
3 Comments
by TrubblnStrife
Thursday, March 21 2013, 10:33AM
“It's quite right for hospitals – and individuals – to take every precaution to protect themselves during outbreaks of infections. Norovirus is a particularly unpleasant virus, as anyone unlucky enough to have suffered from it will testify, and hospital patients are especially at risk. However, we should also remember the vulnerable individuals (e.g. the frail elderly) in the community and take care to avoid exposing them to infection.”
by robocop1982
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 5:46PM
“i remember once visiting a gp i decided to wear a medical mask for hygiene reasons and remember the doctor made snar rude remarks and sarcastically asked why i was wearing a mask. i thought he would of had the intelligence to realize why somebody in a doctors room with lots of germs being transmited would of worn a mask. I found this very rude and unprofessional and japanese people often wear masks alot of the time in public and is normal for them. I didnt like the fact he questioned my freedom of choice and liberty. surely to wear a medica mask in a doctors where lots of germs are spreading shows good quicky reactions in a persons ideas and yet this guy questioned why i was wearing a mas to protect me from germs e.t.c. this was also close to the time of that swine flue thing also.”
by ColinTheComet
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 3:10PM
“This reminds me of when my terminally-ill mother was in Torbay Hospital and her ward was closed to visitors because of a sickness bug. At first I accepted the closure as being for the general good but then I went to the Willows and saw NHS staff shopping there wearing their uniforms. The bugs may be being brought in on the uniforms of staff - and then possibly being taken back out into the community and not being killed when uniforms are washed at home on a 30C wash that's not going to kill the bugs.”