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Last Updated: 12 September 2023

An update on visiting at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals

Visiting is no longer restricted to two hours, and visiting is no longer required to be booked by telephone. Please ensure that you visit during the normal ward visiting times. Please note that no more than two people should visit a patient at any given time.

More information and exceptions to visiting times.

Update to Infection Prevention Control Guidance

We have made the decision that from Monday 17th 2023 face mask wearing for visitors, patients, and staff will no longer be a mandatory requirement in non-clinical areas of our hospitals.

Face masks will still be available in the main entrances of the hospitals, for those who would prefer to continue to wear face masks, and in clinical areas.

We will continue to monitor the situation and will update you with any further changes to our Infection Prevention and Control measures.

Thank you for your continued support.

Andrea Lewis, Chief Nurse
David Fluck, Medical Director

Visiting Hours

Please note that normal visiting hours are 2pm – 8pm.

• Visiting hours for Birch Acute Cardiac Unit (BACU) are 3-4:30pm and 6-8pm only. Only 2 visitors at a time and no children below 12 years old.
• Visiting in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is permitted from 1pm, with a recommended two hour slot (this is flexible). Please contact the unit to agree visiting as appropriate.
• If you are visiting a patient on Chestnut ward, please continue to ring the ward prior to your visit to arrange.
• In Maternity, please note that siblings are permitted to visit but no other children.

Please note that no more than two people should visit a patient at any given time.

Our vision is to be one of the best healthcare Trusts in the country.

One of our key objectives is to achieve the highest possible quality of care and treatment for our patients.

In this section, you can find out more about our care and support services as well as assistance for your visit.

Central to our vision is to provide high quality care for everyone. With the recent publication of the second Francis Report looking into the failings in care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, we are once again reminded of the responsibility we carry on behalf of our patients and the importance of working in a values-led, open and safe culture. As you might expect, we have spent time with staff reflecting on the findings of this landmark report, working together to assure ourselves that something on that scale could never happen here. From the Board to the front line we continue to actively encourage, discuss and collect feedback using what we hear to make the right improvements for patients. And with the introduction of the new Friends and Family Test from April, we look forward to having an even richer source of feedback down to ward level.

We have been particularly encouraged with our results from the national patient survey, which show good improvements for the third year running, especially in how patients feel about nursing care. Given that the quality of nursing care has also been in the spotlight following the Francis Report, it is particularly reassuring for our patients and their families to know that our nurses are doing a good job.

We have also been working hard to improve the experience of patients who come to our hospitals as an emergency. With the help of the Department of Health’s Emergency Care Intensive Support Team, we have put in place a number of changes to help the flow of patients through our hospitals. Nationally this winter has seen hospitals up and down the country struggle to maintain the four hour waiting target. Within this context we are particularly encouraged that our performance has improved and that we met this important quality target for most of the financial year.

Caroline Warner Chair

Julie Smith Chief Executive