Hospitals are full of sick patients, and there is a high risk of infection for other patients, parents and visitors. It is vital that everyone works hard to prevent the spread of germs. The best way to do this is by washing your hands regularly and using the hand sanitiser gel provided throughout the ward. Please ensure you gel your hands before entering and leaving a patient room and ensure you wash your hands before and after preparing or eating food, and attending to personal and patient hygiene.

Children who have an infectious illness will have special signs outside their room instructing visitors that they need to wear gowns and masks. Please adhere to these guidelines and ask a nurse for help if you are uncertain of what to do.

If a patient is infectious, it is important to limit the number of visitors who come to see them. Walking around the ward or to other areas of the hospital can expose other people to infection, so your child should try to stay in their room as much as possible.