Important information for patients and visitors in light of new government guidance
On Monday 19th July, new government guidance came into force for England, lifting a series of Covid-19 restrictions as part of the final stage of the government’s four-step roadmap for lifting lockdown.
Across our hospitals, the safety of our patients and staff is paramount, and we will continue to observe the measures we currently have in place to keep everyone safe during their visit. This follows the guidelines set by Public Health England that state that everyone in healthcare settings must continue to wear a face covering and follow social distancing rules.
- Face coverings: anyone entering our hospitals must wear a face mask or covering while in our buildings, unless they fall within the following groups: children under the age of three, anyone with respiratory conditions or breathing difficulties, and anyone unable to use a face covering without assistance.
- Social distancing: maintain a two-metre distance between yourself and anyone you come across during your visit, unless advised otherwise – for example, to allow staff to carry out any tests patients need.
- Handwashing: wash your hands or use hand sanitiser as soon as you enter the hospital, and frequently thereafter.
Further information on what we are doing to keep you safe during your visit can be found here.
Visiting
Visiting has not yet returned to normal levels and continues to be carefully managed. Regretfully, our wards remain closed to visitors, and no accompanying visitors should arrive with patients to their appointment, with the exception of child patients, or someone with additional needs. Further guidance on visiting can be found here.
What we are doing to keep you safe during your visit
Fewer patients are being invited to our hospitals for appointments and procedures during this time. This means we can ‘space out’ the times patients arrive and make sure that waiting areas are not full. This allows patients who are visiting us to socially distance easily.
Our hospitals are being cleaned more often than usual. We are taking extra care cleaning surfaces that people touch, and all our staff are wearing surgical face masks to protect patients. Find out more about these, and other measures, that have been in place at our hospitals to help protect patients.
Remember – if you have been invited in for an appointment your clinical team believes that the benefits of your visit far outweigh any risks.
For more information about your outpatient appointment click here.
For more information about coming in for a procedure click here.
How to be referred
We take referrals from GPs and hospital doctors from across the UK - from Aberdeen to Truro. If you feel our specialist services could help you, the first thing to do is speak to your current doctor and request a referral through to a relevant consultant at one of our hospitals.
See our list of specialist consultants
If you are a healthcare professional, find out more about making a referral.
Our hospitals
When you arrive at one of our hospitals, you will probably notice how calm they are. This is because Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals do not have an A&E department and most of our patients have pre-booked appointments or admissions.
Our highly-trained staff will do everything they can to make your stay as comfortable as possible. As well as offering you expert clinical care, we will also do our best to answer any questions you may have and help you to feel relaxed.
"Staff cared for patients with compassion. Feedback from patients confirmed that staff treated them well and with kindness."
The Care Quality Commission
We are keen to ensure that all our patients receive the best possible care.
It is often helpful to know in advance if a patient has special needs so we can be prepared and ensure that there is as little disruption as possible to the patient.
Royal Brompton & Harefield hospitals information
If you need to know anything about our wards, visiting hours, food and restaurant services or patient and carer facilities, find out more:
- Royal Brompton Hospital
- Harefield Hospital
- Information about our children's services
- Patients' experiences
- Our services and the conditions we test and treat
- Hospital transport
Have you spotted our NHS rainbow badges?
You may have seen some of our staff wearing NHS rainbow badges. The badges are just one way to show that Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals are open, non-judgemental and inclusive places for people who identify as LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, the + simply means that we are inclusive of all identities, regardless of how people define themselves). Find out more about the rainbow badges initiative.