Masks no longer compulsory at Frimley Health Trust hospitals

Face coverings will no longer be compulsory for patients and visitors at Wexham Park Hospital and Heatherwood Hospital.

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospitals, has announced masks will only be required in certain circumstances following a change in national guidance.

This includes:

• Patients who may have respiratory symptoms and are attending for emergency treatment
• Patients who have suspected or confirmed respiratory infections, including COVID-19, will need to wear a surgical face mask if they are being transferred between departments, when they’re not staying in a single room or when they have visitors
• Visitors to patients who are diagnosed with respiratory infections, including COVID-19, should wear surgical face masks
• People visiting patients who are severely immunosuppressed should wear surgical face masks.
• Patients or visitors who have a household contact who has tested positive for COVID-19 should wear a face mask at all times during their visit.

The trust said patients and visitors can still wear face coverings if they prefer but this will no longer be a requirement. 

Trust staff will wear surgical face masks when delivering patient care. 

Visitors should not come to the trust's hospitals if they have tested positive for COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms of the virus.

Visiting on inpatient wards has also returned to pre-pandemic hours of 9am to 9pm.