An appeal from Mairead McAlinden (Chief Executive of Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust)

Published: 14 November 2017

We are working very hard to keep our hospitals and community services free from Norovirus and Influenza at this busy time of year.

We assess every patient coming into our hospitals for any infections that could put themselves or others at risk and for patients who need to be admitted we make sure to place these patients appropriately to protect them and others. Our dedicated clinical and hospital cleaning staff work really hard to deliver our high standards of decontamination and infection control to limit any spread of infection.

But we also need the help of our local community to keep our hospitals, care homes and community facilities as infection-free as possible. We know how much our patients appreciate visitors while they are in hospital, but if you are experiencing any infectious illness such as flu, vomiting or stomach upset, please do not visit until you are 48 hours symptom free. If you become unwell whilst visiting please inform a member of staff straightaway.

By doing this, you will be helping us to keep our patients and staff safe and free of infection.

Thank you
Mairead McAlinden