Manx Care is re-introducing mask wearing in patient-facing clinical areas across all of its sites, as a precautionary measure given a recent rise in the admission of COVID-19-positive patients.
For clarity, this is for Manx Care employees working in patient-facing settings (including General Practice and Dental Practice), and members of the public visiting people in hospitals. People attending appointments or the Emergency Department are encouraged to wear a facemask and wash their hands on arrival to the hospital. Face masks will be supplied at the entrance to each hospital, as well as on wards and other clinical areas.
Manx Care employees who are either District Nurses, Ambulance personnel or those who work in the community will also wear masks when in direct contact with patients. Again, people attending appointments are strongly encouraged to wear a face mask and wash their hands on arrival.
Members of the public visiting a friend or relative in hospital will be asked to wear a facemask and wash their hands upon entering a clinical area. Those visiting a residential care home operated by Manx Care will be asked to wear facemasks if there are residents at the home with COVID-19.
Visitors should not attend the hospital if they are feeling unwell or have symptoms of a cold, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea.
Manx Care is taking this step as a precautionary measure given the recent increase in COVID-19-positive patients.
In recent days, Manx Care has seen an increase in the number of people being admitted to hospital requiring treatment specifically for COVID-19 infection, as well as some admitted for other reasons but who also happen to be COVID-19-positive.
Paul Moore, Manx Care’s Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director of Nursing and Governance, commented:
'We want to minimise risk and protect our organisational resilience as far as possible. These are tried and tested infection prevention and control procedures. I appreciate wearing a mask is difficult for some people, but it is important we act quickly and proactively. We will continue to monitor this over the coming days and revise our guidance accordingly in line with further developments.'
