Coronavirus (Covid-19) guidance: visiting a Sue Ryder hospice or neurological centre

• First published: 28 February 2020
• Last updated: 4 May 2023

We must always ensure that visits are managed safely. We also need to follow infection prevention control (IPC) guidelines for care services like ours. Please contact the centre to check on the most up to date situation before making your visit.

The need to wear a face mask in health and social care has been recommended in government guidance, particularly when the risk of causing harm is high.

Sue Ryder cares for many vulnerable people and so we ask that visitors wear a form of face covering to prevent the spread of infection from the wearer.

Guidance for care homes

Government guidance for care homes, including Sue Ryder Neurological Care Centres, has been updated to allow each service to decide if it is safe to cease universal face mask use.

This means that each service must conduct risk assessments to make decisions about the use of masks. This careful consideration of risks will dictate when to wear masks.

There is a need to carefully assess each resident's preferences and clinical risks, and any other risk known to the care home, before ceasing wearing masks routinely. Each of Sue Ryder’s Neurological Care Centres in England will be working on ensuring this guidance is in place as quickly as possible while ensuring the safety of all our residents and staff.

Therefore, we carefully assess each resident's preferences and clinical risks, and any other risk known to the care home, before ceasing wearing masks routinely. Each of Sue Ryder’s Neurological Care Centres in England will be working on ensuring this guidance is in place as quickly as possible while ensuring the safety of all our residents and staff.

Masks should still be worn by visitors to our neurological care centres if:

• the person being cared for is known or suspected to have Covid-19 (recommended Type IIR fluid-repellent surgical mask)
• the care setting is in an outbreak

The wearing of PPE, including masks in Sue Ryder Hospices, is unaffected by this new guidance for care homes.

All Sue Ryder services

In all Sue Ryder services the following still applies:

Children under the age of 18 are allowed to visit, but please discuss this with the centre directly as this must be agreed upon by the appropriate member of Sue Ryder staff.

Anyone who has symptoms of respiratory infection, including Covid-19, or has recently tested positive for Covid-19 or is a close contact of someone with confirmed Covid-19 or symptoms of Covid-19, must not visit under any circumstances.

This guidance sets out the government’s advice to support safe visiting:

• Visitors must wear the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and follow all other infection control measures (which the service will guide them on) during visits.

• Visitors should limit contact with other service users and staff, and maintain as much distance as possible.

• Services can continue to offer visits to other friends or family members with arrangements such as outdoor visiting, substantial screens, visiting pods, or behind windows. However, this may not be possible at all centres due to environmental restrictions.

We encourage visitors to refrain from using public transport before and after their visit and ask that they do not bring personal belongings into their loved one’s room, where possible.

Sue Ryder will continue to review restrictions regularly in line with current UK Health Security advice on social distancing and the control of Covid-19. For the latest guidance, please read the gov.uk website.

Due to the latest guidelines and advice from Health Protection, there may be local variations applied to visiting. Please contact the local centres directly for the most up to date information.

Thank you for your continued support regarding visiting our centres during this period and your cooperation is much appreciated.