Hospital patients to be interviewed before being admitted

Jan 4 2008

royal liverpool hospital

All new patients at two Liverpool hospitals are to be subjected to an interview to stop the spread of a highly contagious stomach bug.

The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen hospitals currently has 10 beds in seven wards closed off to new patients as it targets the norovirus bug.

The minute-long interviews, for all new patients to the hospital and A&E department, include questions about symptoms and whether the patient has been in contact with others who may have the virus.

Diane Wake, director of infection control, said: “We have not had to close any wards as a result of this virus thanks to action we have taken to reduce its spread.

“We currently have 10 bed bays in seven wards closed to new admissions.

“We are dealing with this quickly and effectively and getting any closed beds re-opened as soon as possible. Yesterday we re-opened two.

“To ensure staff are equipped to spot any patients who might have the virus, we have developed a ’60 second interview’.

“This means that anyone with the virus can be moved immediately into an isolation bed which, crucially, will help reduce the likelihood of transmission to other patients.”

The Trust also made an appeal that anyone visiting the hospital should only do so if they are well and have no symptoms of the virus.