Visiting GOSH
Updated 23 May 2023
At Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), we know that visits from family and friends are hugely important to the children and young people we care for.
The need to protect people from COVID-19 disrupted these visits for a long time. Since July 2022 we have been able to welcome back friends and family into the hospital, as long as some simple precautions to protect our vulnerable patients from infections are followed.
Visiting Guidelines
Under our updated visiting guidelines, parents and carers are able to visit together, and siblings and friends of inpatients are welcome too. On some wards there may be restrictions on how many people can visit at any one time due to space limitations.
Our guidelines have been created following national guidance from National Health Service England (NHSE) and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH).
Safeguards
Some important safeguards for visitors to protect our patients remain and these are:
- No one should visit the hospital if they feel unwell, and anyone who develops respiratory symptoms while at the hospital should inform the ward and go home immediately.
- Nursing staff on the wards need to complete a family assessment on every shift, by asking visitors a few simple questions about how they are feeling.
- For patients and parents coming to GOSH for an outpatient appointment the wearing of face masks is optional. However, fluid resistant surgical masks (FRSM) will continue to be provided at the entrances and on request for all those who wish to wear one.
- If your child has an outpatient appointment, two parents/carers will be allowed into the hospital, but we are asking that no siblings are brought in due to the size restriction of some areas.
- The space we have available still limits the number of visitors we can accommodate. A maximum of two parents or carers may attend an outpatient appointment and while two parents or carers can accompany a patient to theatres, we ask that only one parent/carer does so if possible.
Please note that our intensive care units, Mildred Creak Unit and our Clinical Research Facility will confirm visiting guidelines with parents/carers upon admission of the child/young person to the department.
If you have questions or concerns about the updated visiting guideline, please contact your clinical team or the Patient Advice and Liaison Service on telephone number 020 7829 7862.