'Rule of one' for hospital visiting will continue over Christmas time, say chiefs of Banbury and Oxford hospitals

The Horton General Hospital where visiting restrictions of one visitor for one hour per day will continue over the Christmas period

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust (OUH) has announced it will continue its policy of 'one visitor only' over the festive period.

A spokesman said: "Here at OUH, we have made the decision to keep to our ‘rule of one’ for visitors to our hospitals over the Christmas period.

"This means our patients can have one visitor, for one hour, each day with the visitor being from the patient’s household or existing support bubble."

Chief nurse Sam Foster at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust

The trust said it would continue its case-by-case approach for patients with mental health support needs, learning disabilities, those with additional communication needs, child patients, patients who require carers or birthing partners and those sadly at the end of their life.

Sam Foster, Chief Nursing Officer at the Trust, said: “We know that this decision will be difficult for some of our patients and their families, especially after what has been a challenging year for so many people.

“However, with cases of COVID rising in the community, we have a duty to keep our patients, their loved ones, and our staff safe. We all need to make sure we have a healthy Christmas and do all that we can to protect each other.”