Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth scraps social distancing amid new NHS guidelines

Following a national update on Covid measures, distancing is no longer required in both outpatient and inpatient areas of the hospital – however, patients will still be required to wear a mask.

Further changes will also be implemented after the update.

A spokeswoman for the Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust said: ‘All patients will continue to be swabbed on admission and on day three and five of their hospital stay. If a patient develops symptoms after this a test will be performed.

‘For patients identified as clinically vulnerable, for example renal patients, testing will continue.

‘For inpatients with Covid-19, LFD tests can be used to reduce the isolation period down from 10 days to seven days. Patients must have two negative tests taken 24 hours apart, which must be taken from day six onwards.

‘Inpatients who are considered contacts of positive cases are no longer required to isolate if they are asymptomatic.

‘Cleaning will be returning to pre-pandemic protocols outside of Covid-19 areas, with enhanced cleaning only required in areas where patients with suspected or known infection are being managed.’

To check visiting guidelines go to porthosp.nhs.uk/patients_and_visitors/visiting-times.htm.