Please read and follow this advice if you are bringing your child into hospital for an operation.
COVID-19 is still circulating in the community. Some patients need to have a PCR test 72 hours before their procedure. If this applies to your child, you will receive an appointment for their test.
Having surgery within 7 weeks of having covid can place some patients at increased risk. Please contact your clinical team if your child has had COVID-19 recently so they can consider this.
All patients are asked about symptoms of infection, and they may have a test on arrival to hospital. If your child has symptoms, their clinical team will decide if it is still safe to have your procedure done or if it needs to be postponed.
Face masks
From 7 June 2022, staff and visitors no longer need to wear face masks in all non-clinical areas of Newcastle Hospitals, unless it is their personal preference to do so.
The change has been made in line with national guidance about the mandated use of masks in healthcare settings.
However, visitors will still be asked to continue to wear face masks in many ‘higher risk’ clinical areas – such as critical care, cancer wards and older people’s medicine – to help ensure we protect our more vulnerable patients or in wards where patients may be infectious.
Please be considerate of waiting areas where there might be vulnerable patients waiting. You may need to wear a mask in these areas such as, NCCC and renal outpatients and IOT outpatients.
Please ask the team looking after you to wear a mask if it makes you feel more comfortable.
Shielding
If you or your child have been told you are extremely vulnerable or are at higher-risk please ensure the clinical team are made aware.
Clean hands
Use hand gel or wash your hands when you arrive and keep a distance between you and others to reduce the risk of transmission.
Extra precautions to take prior to surgery
You should have received a letter advising what extra precautions your family and child should take 10 days and 3 days before surgery.
