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Patients & Visitors

Visiting Information

Updated 14 February 2023

Please do not come to the hospital if you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, flu or norovirus, unless it is an emergency.

Visiting A&E or an Assessment Department (e.g. SAU, MAU, OPAU)

Please come alone where possible. If necessary, you can bring one other person with you but at busy times, we may ask that the person accompanying you temporarily waits elsewhere until we are ready to assess you.

Attending Outpatient Departments

If you're receiving results or discussing care you can bring a maximum of two people with you.
If you are attending a diagnostic appointment (e.g. X-ray or endoscopy) where the results will not be available during your appointment, you can bring one person with you.
If you are patient with a physical or mental disability or you are under age 16 you can be accompanied by a partner, family member, friend or carer.
To avoid busy periods, please do not turn up too early to your appointments.

Face masks

Patients, visitors and staff must wear a facemask in the following areas:

  • Haematology
  • Oncology
  • Emergency Department
  • Rheumatology
  • Intensive Care Unit
  • Medical, surgical and paediatric assessment areas

Patients who have confirmed or suspected COVID-19 and/or other respiratory symptoms are also required to wear a face mask. People visiting patients who are in a ward bay will also be encourage to wear a mask.

In other areas of the hospital, you can choose whether to wear a mask or not.

While social distancing is no longer mandatory, you are encouraged to be mindful of other people's personal space and to wash and sanitise your hands regularly. Please speak to the department you are visiting before you attend if you have any queries.

Inpatient visiting

Please note: we operate a 'swipe entrance and exit' system across all our wards to protect our patients, visitors and staff.

Find out more

  • Two visitors can attend at a time, this may also include children under the age of 18
  • Visiting hours differ depending on ward so please check before attending
  • Visitors must be free from COVID-19, flu and norovirus symptoms
  • Visits will not be possible to areas closed due to infection, other than in exceptional circumstances

Exceptions apply for:

  • Children's Ward and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
  • Vulnerable adults – to be discussed with the senior nurse on the ward.
  • Patients nearing the end of their life.

Maternity

Support for women during their maternity journey:

  • For labour and birth you can have up to two birth supporters. That applies if you are receiving care from the RUH maternity services, and its local maternity birth units (Chippenham and Frome)
  • One support person can attend with you at our Outpatient Maternity Assessment areas (Day Assessment Unit, Chippenham, Trowbridge, Frome and Paulton or if you are seeing a midwife in a GP surgery)
  • One support person can stay with you on Mary Ward (antenatal and postnatal) between 9am and 9pm
  • If you require a longer stay on Bath Birthing Centre, you will also be able to have one support person between 9am and 9pm
  • One support person can stay overnight for the first night after for the birth. Additional overnight stays will be considered on an individual basis depending on clinical need.
  • Siblings can visit the postnatal ward but this should be arranged in advance with the ward team
  • One support person can attend all maternity ultrasound scans

Send a message to your loved one

If you're unable to visit, we can help you to keep in touch by passing on a message to your loved one.

The RUH is committed to supporting and facilitating virtual contact across the organisation.  All inpatient areas have an iPhone to support patients with ongoing contact with their family and friends. We also ask, where possible, that patients bring in their own mobile device and charger and that the lock mode is disabled.

We can also help by passing on a message to your loved one in hospital. This service is designed to let patients know that their friends and loved ones are well, thinking of them and sending their best wishes.

  • Step one: Email ruh-tr.keepingintouch@nhs.net or call 01225 826319 to tell us what your message is. Please provide the patient's name, date of birth, location or ward if known, and your details including your relationship to the patient.
  • Step two: Your message will be delivered to the patient using our in-house postal service, Monday to Friday.

Unfortunately we are unable to facilitate sending messages back from patients to their family or friends.

Visiting Times

Visiting times for most wards throughout the week are:

11.00am – 8.00pm

Please check before you visit as some wards have later visiting hours or protected meal times:

Check the ward you're visiting

Different visiting arrangements apply to the following wards:

Maternity (including Mary Ward):

  • Partners: Welcome between 9am and 9pm. Overnight stays will be considered on an individual basis depending on clinical need.
  • Others: 2.30pm - 7.00pm - two adults plus patients' own children only

Children's Centre:

  • Parents can visit at any time but please check with the ward first.
  • Any other visitors must be accompanied by the parents.

Pulteney Surgical

On Pulteney ward, there are protected mealtimes between 12 noon and 1pm, then again in the evening, 5pm until 6pm. Please do not visit during these times.

William Budd:

  • 10am - 8pm

Please Note:
No flowers are allowed on the Wards

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