VISITORS to hospitals in Bradford have been told to wear masks on its wards.

National rules on mask wearing in GP surgeries and hospitals have largely been scrapped under new guidance.

Instead, organisations will draft their own policies on general mask use.

Some GP surgeries and health centres have already taken down signs telling patients to wear masks on entry.

READ MORE: New visiting arrangements for BRI and St Luke's Hospitals

But a number of hospitals, including Bradford, have called on patients and staff to continue to wear masks and face coverings on their sites.

In a statement released as part of its hospitals’ new visiting arrangements, the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “All visitors to wards must wear a mask to protect our patients and staff from the spread of Covid-19 and other infections.”

The new national guidelines set out by the UK Health Security Agency and outlined in an NHS letter to all local health authorities advise:

  • Patients visiting GP surgeries or hospital outpatient appointments and people attending A&E no longer need to wear masks “unless this is a personal preference”
  • But those with respiratory symptoms – such as a cough – should wear a face mask or face covering “if tolerated”.
  • Patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19 or suspected to have Covid should be provided with a face mask when they are admitted to a ward or in a communal area “if this can be tolerated and it is deemed safe for the patient”
  • Covid-19 patients in single rooms will not usually be required to wear a mask.
  • Hospital patients who do not have Covid do not need to wear a face mask unless it is their “personal preference”, but they may be asked to in some high-risk areas such as cancer units, blood disorder treatment services or elderly care wards.
  • With regards to health and care staff, mask use is still advised in high-risk areas but the rules should be “guided by local assessment”.
  • Staff who could come into contact with someone with Covid-19 should also wear masks as part of their personal protective equipment (PPE).
  • This could include Covid wards, A&E departments and GP surgeries.
  • Universal mask wearing by staff should be considered when there is a local outbreak of cases, the guidance adds.
  • Staff no longer need to wear masks in non-clinical areas such as staff rooms and offices.
  • The letter adds that any infection control measures above and beyond those set out in national guidance are “a matter for local discretion”.
  • It also suggests that most visiting rules should be reverted back to pre-pandemic policies.

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