Protecting Our Patients And Staff | Saint Francis Private Hospital | Ballinderry | Mullingar

At Saint Francis Private Hospital, keeping you safe is our primary concern. We maintain the highest standards when it comes to the safety and well-being of our patients and staff. We take great pride in the fact that we have had no hospital acquired transmissions of COVID -19 to date.

We want to reassure you that we have put in place extraordinary measures to keep you safe. We have actioned all recommendations from our in-house Infection Prevention Control Team and the HSE.

How We Are Keeping Our Patients and Staff Safe:

Assessment Stations:

All staff, and those attending Saint Francis Private Hospital, must have their temperature checked and complete our COVID-19 Screening questionnaire before entering. We also post out COVID-19 questionnaires to patients along with their appointment date/time which allows patients to complete in advance of their attendance.

Single Rooms:

The majority of patient rooms in Saint Francis Private Hospital are single rooms. This gives patients the comfort of space and distance from other patients.

Socially Distant Waiting Areas:

All waiting room areas have been rearranged to allow for social distancing. All two and three seating arrangements have been removed and replaced with single seating.

Enhanced Cleaning:

Our dedicated housekeeping team have implemented enhanced cleaning schedules throughout the hospital. A major focus has been put on increased cleaning frequency of all doors, lifts buttons, stair rails, reception areas and seating.

Additional Hand Sanitiser Stations:

We have installed numerous new hand sanitiser stations in all hospital areas. We encourage patients and staff to use these as frequently as possible.

Pre-Op COVID-19 Assessment and Self-Isolation:

All patients attending the hospital for surgical procedures which require a general anaesthetic will be tested for COVID-19 48 hours prior to admission. Patients are also advised to restrict their movements from the date they receive their appointment date/time leading up to their planned procedure. This essential measure is for the safety of both the patient and staff members and should be strictly adhered to.

No Visitors:

In order to reduce the risk of infection visiting is currently prohibited. We would encourage family and friends to contact inpatients by mobile phone or video calling apps (such as Facebook, Whatsapp and Skype etc.) until these visiting restrictions are lifted. Exceptions will be made only for special cases ie: paediatric patients with prior arrangement from the Clinical Nurse Manager. Please note that children will not be permitted to visit at this time.

Patients Only:

Patients with hospital appointments and procedures are only permitted to bring one escort with them. These restrictions are in place to protect our patients and staff at Saint Francis Private Hospital. Patients with a scheduled appointment not displaying symptoms should present to the hospital as planned. As the hospital has prohibited visiting of inpatients at this time, those attending the hospital for an inpatient procedure are encouraged to:

Bring sufficient clothing for their entire stay
Bring a mobile phone and recharger (and sufficient credit)
Bring any personal items they may require for their entire stay

Staff PPE and Training:

All staff at Saint Francis Private Hospital have undergone training in the correct use of PPE.

Masks and Gloves:

Face masks or coverings are now mandatory for all entering the Hospital. Exemptions will be made only in the case of medical reasons which contraindicate the wearing of face coverings. We do not recommend that patients wear gloves. Patients who attend wearing gloves may be asked to remove these and sanitise their hands upon arrival.

Hand Hygiene:

All staff are continuing to maintain the strictest level of hand hygiene. Hand hygiene is performed regularly with particular attention being paid after patient contact. We encourage patients to also practice this level of hand hygiene. You may be asked by staff members throughout your hospital journey to wash or sanitise your hands at certain times. We ask that you comply with these requests.

Safety Signage:

Throughout the hospital we have ample signage to remind patients to continue to practice hand hygiene, adhere to social distancing and other safety standards in place. We ask that patients please act in accordance with these essential measures at all times.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: You should not attend Saint Francis Private Hospital if you have a fever, cough of any type (new to you), acute shortness of breath, breathing difficulty of unknown origin, loss of taste/smell, have travelled to or from a non-Green listed country in the past two weeks or have been in contact with a person who has COVID-19. Please note that all visits to patients have been suspended. If you have an appointment at the hospital, we request that you attend unaccompanied where possible. Scheduled surgeries and appointments will continue as normal unless you have been contacted to say otherwise.

Scheduled Appointments and Surgeries

All patients attending the hospital for surgical procedures which require a general anaesthetic will be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission. As an additional safety measure, patients must restrict their movements for the 14-day period leading up to their procedure.

Patients should attend alone where at all possible. Where circumstances dictate, a maximum of one person may be granted permission to enter with the patient. Any others who come along will be asked to wait off the premises as per infection prevention measures.

f you have a procedure or appointment scheduled and think you have been exposed to COVID-19, do not attend Saint Francis Private Hospital. Instead, please contact us on (044) 938 5300 and a member of staff will assess your situation over the phone. Where clinically indicated, your surgery or appointment may be rescheduled. This is highly important and will help us to protect both you, and other more vulnerable patients in our care.

Advice for Anyone Exposed to COVID-19

Persons who have been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the past 14 days must self-isolate. As persons are contagious before symptoms start to appear, it is important to eliminate contact with others if you know you have been exposed to the virus.

If you have been exposed and have symptoms of COVID-19 please follow the advice on www.hse.ie. Remember, the majority, over 80%, of infected persons will not need medical attention. However, if you do think you require medical attention, phone your GP, HSE Live on 1850 24 1850, or in urgent cases contact Emergency Services on 112 or 999.

Useful Links:

European Centre for Disease Control latest updates: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical-distribution-2019-ncov-cases

HSE Covid-19 and Travel: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/travel-and-coronavirus.html

Coronavirus (COVID-19) World Cases Tracker: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries

Coronavirus live updates and links for patients who may be deaf/hard of hearing:

https://www2.hse.ie/coronavirus/

Website for Irish speakers:

https://www2.hse.ie/gaeilge/

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