Visiting patients

Compassionate visiting for adult inpatients means that visiting can occur outside of a ward’s normal visiting hours or in times of restricted or suspended visiting, if the patient meets any of the following criteria:

• they are dying (last days and hours of life)
• they have a mental health issue, dementia, a learning disability or autism
• where the attendance of a key contact will benefit a patient's clinical condition or wellbeing (ward staff will get in touch if a visit will be beneficial)

Please speak to ward staff if compassionate visiting applies to you.

Patients who do not have COVID-19 can receive visits from 11.30am to 7.30pm at Barnet Hospital, or from 12 to 8pm at the Royal Free Hospital. 

For patients in Barnet Hospital's intensive care unit with COVID-19, please speak to the nursing team to arrange a visit. For patients on ITU North, call 020 8216 5298 and for ITU South, call 020 8216 4120. 

For patients in the Royal Free Hospital's intensive care unit in respiratory isolation, such as those suffering with COVID-19 or flu, please speak to the nursing team to arrange a visit by calling 020 7794 0500 ext 24545, from Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. 

When visiting our maternity services, please follow the current advice:

• One partner or companion can attend all antenatal clinic appointments and pregnancy scans.
• One partner or companion can attend the Maternity Day Unit (Barnet Hospital) and Day Assessment Unit (Royal Free Hospital) and triage units at both sites.
• Two birth partners can support women on the labour wards and in the birth centres.
• One partner or companion can visit throughout a 24-hour period on Victoria ward in Barnet Hospital, and on 5 South in the Royal Free Hospital (antenatal/postnatal wards).
• One additional partner or companion is permitted on Victoria ward and 5 South between 2 to 8pm. The second visitor can be a sibling.

We encourage the involvement of parents and carers in all aspects of their child's care. On our children’s wards:

• Family members can visit from 8am to 8pm.
• One adult is allowed to stay overnight with the patient.

Please note, visiting siblings must be supervised by a responsible adult at all times.

We are currently accommodating our patients’ needs for a companion as much as possible, but we need to do this as safely as possible for everybody. We also need to take account of overcrowding in the department. This means:

• Adults are allowed one accompanying visitor in all areas.
• Visitors may be expected to wait in the relatives’ rooms or waiting areas at times when patients are in the resuscitation room, ambulance assessment area or undergoing scanning/procedures.
• At the Royal Free Hospital, children may be accompanied by one or both parents or carers. Please note that parents or carers are expected to take siblings out of the department where more than one adult is present.
• Due to the space constraints in the paediatric emergency department waiting room at Barnet Hospital, it is requested that children and young people are only accompanied by one parent or carer.
• At times when capacity is full, to avoid overcrowding in waiting rooms, visitors will be asked to wait outside.
• Visiting within the department is at the discretion of staff.