Visiting

Changes to visiting: COVID-19

In line with national guidance, Sheffield Children’s has changed its COVID guidance for patients and families. This means:

Visitors must not attend any of our sites if they feel unwell or have flu-like symptoms.

Face coverings

Face coverings are no longer required by patients and families (1 September 2022).

Staff will continue to wear face masks with patients in some areas.

We appreciate your kindness to our colleagues at this time.

Parents or carers accompanying a patient

• Two parents or carers can accompany a patient at Sheffield Children’s. This applies to the whole of Sheffield Children’s –  outpatients and inpatients.
  We kindly ask families to not bring any additional family members or carers to the Trust. We understand that some families may have to bring siblings with them to an appointment, but please avoid this where possible.
  Only one parent or carer can stay with a patient overnight.
  We understand that there may be certain situations where this would need to be discussed when on the ward.

Testing before surgery / pre-operative testing

• Following renewed guidance from The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) most patients will not have a pre-operative swab for COVID or other viruses. The only patients who will require a pre-operative swab for COVID will be those who have COVID symptoms and who will be admitted post-operatively to the critical care unit, neonatal surgical unit or ward 6.
• If you have any questions please speak to the ward or department manager.

Thank you for kindness and understanding to our staff at this time.

Information about when you can visit the hospital and what to do when you’re here.

Find out more about our wards, including contact numbers and facilities.

Main entrance

Visitors can access the hospital through the main entrance off Clarkson Street. Level access is available through the drop-off area and lifts can be found in the undercroft parking area.

Guidelines

We aim to keep infection rates as low as possible at Sheffield Children’s Hospital and therefore have some guidelines for visitors.

• Children under five will not be able to visit patients without the agreement of the nurse in charge of the ward. This is because they are at greater risk of catching and spreading infection.

Limits on visiting

The main reason we place limits on visiting is to minimise the risk of infection to the children. Reducing the number of people coming onto wards will go a long way to helping with this.

Reducing the number of people around each bed will also improve the medical and nursing staff access to patients and will reduce noise levels.

Visiting times

Visiting times are generally flexible, however we request that visiting should end by 9pm to allow younger children to rest.

Flexibility

We try to be flexible in exceptional circumstances but these rules are for the benefit of all. We ask that the child’s main carer takes responsibility for co-ordinating visits from friends and family. Please plan in advance with your relatives and friends, alternating days or visiting at different times. Additional visitors can wait in parent rooms, the hospital main entrance or in the Parkside Restaurant.

What else to be aware of

Please remember to use the handwash gel prior to entering the ward (the gel is situated on the wall in a dispenser by the door to each ward and in the bed area).

If you or family have a cold please consider visiting another day.

Visitor facilities

Refreshments
The Parkside Restaurant serves freshly-prepared food seven days a week.

It’s near the Blue lifts on B Floor of the Western Park acute site and is open from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and from 8am to 6pm on Saturday, Sunday and Bank holidays.

Breakfast is served until 11.30am. After that time the menu offers a wide range of affordable hot and cold sit-down or takeaway meals, snacks and drinks to visitors and our staff. There’s also a great value children’s menu.

We recently introduced a budget-friendly £1.50 Meal of the Day – a different tasty main course every day including weekends.

Vegetarian, vegan, halal and gluten-free options are available and allergy information is displayed. If you are unsure please ask a member of the restaurant staff.

• Costa Coffee in the hospital main entrance serves hot drinks and snacks.
• A number of vending machines serving drinks, snacks and cold food can be found across the hospital.

Shops
The Friends of the Children’s Hospital shop is on the long corridor near the X-Ray department and sells a range of items including toys, cards, gifts and balloons.

A Co-op is across the road from the hospital on the corner of Clarkson Street and Glossop Road.

Telephones
Public telephones are available at various points in the public corridors throughout the hospital. Please remember to bring sufficient change for telephones.

Mobile phones can be used throughout the Trust with the exception of the Paediatric Critical Care Unit and theatres. Please keep your phone silent if possible. Please do not take photographs without getting permission from the person you are photographing.