After a friend phoned her in tears because he couldn't visit his vulnerable mum - who has dementia - in hospital, TV star and mental health campaigner Denise Welch has spoken out about why she thinks letting people visit family in hospital is vital.
Though her friend has now since been able to visit his mum in South Tyneside Hospital - and the South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust has since announced plans to ease visiting restrictions generally from Monday - Denise told ChronicleLive it was a wider issue - and she feared for the mental health of vulnerable people suffering in hospitals up and down the UK.
Denise said: "It's a wider issue than just my friend - and it's a wider issue that I don't think is being talked about enough. Now that the war in Ukraine is happening, people are forgetting about Covid.
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"Though I'm relieved about that in many ways, we need to remember some hospitals are still not allowing people to come and see their loved ones.
"I'm aware Covid is still around, but there's no excuse at this stage two years on."
She said since speaking out about her friend, she'd had messages from tens of people struggling in that situation.
Denise said she thinks that if people are vaccinated, take lateral flow tests and are cautious, they should be able to visit their loved ones in hospital.
She explained what had happened to her friend: "My friend's mum is very, very unwell with dementia at South Tyneside Hospital. She's been there a couple of weeks but sadly they couldn't see her until the other day - until I had gone public about it.
"Last week I had my friend in tears on the phone to me because he and his brother couldn't get to see his mum and they didn't know what to do.
"A journalist friend of mine said to tell him to speak to the patient advice and liaison service (PALS) and to be fair to them they were fantastic but you shouldn't have to fight."
Denise said she felt family visiting their loved ones helped medical staff.
Remembering how she and her sister had spotted her dad Vin with the signs of a urinary tract infection when he was in hospital - that the medics treating him had yet to spot - she said family members were able to notice little signs of illness.
"We all know how hospitals actually rely on patients having visitors to pick up things they might be too busy to - like if someone's not eating.
"When my dad sadly had to go to hospital we were able to spot that, for example, he had a urinary tract infection. We knew he wasn't right and asked if he'd been tested recently, he hadn't and when they did, they found it."
She also spoke about how when her dad had been unwell - he died in September 2021 - difficulties visiting him had been traumatic.
"He had never been poorly in his life in all his eighty-odd years, and he was suddenly very frightened.
"One day out of the blue, they decided there was no visiting allowed. We had done our due diligence, we were double vaccinated - I said to them I've a very loud voice, both publicly and privately - I fought and pushed back and in time they relented."
The TV star emphasised she was a supporter of NHS nurses - she has publicly thanked those who looked after her dad at the University Hospital of North Durham and who "gave dad the most peaceful passing he could have wished for" - but said she wanted NHS decision-makers to take more account of the mental health impacts on patients.
"This isn't a pop at all the hard-working nurses but they are so very, very busy - and the problem is it's not them who make the decisions," she said.
Adding that she was pleased to see the visiting rules change at South Tyneside, she said it was important that it was made easier to visit hospitals everywhere.
"I wouldn't have felt good if they'd changed it just for me," she added. "People with family in hospitals all around the country have been in touch. I'm just doing my bit to fight."
A spokesperson for the South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust said though they couldn't comment on individual cases, "restricting visiting is a decision that is never taken lightly and always with the safety and best interests of our patients and our staff in mind".
They added: "We never underestimate how important it is for our patients to see their loved ones, but we also have to balance the ongoing risk that Covid-19 still has on those who are very sick and vulnerable, as well as our dedicated teams of NHS staff who care for them.
“Unfortunately, the rate of community infections in South Tyneside and Sunderland has remained very high due to the Omicron variant, but we will be safely easing our current restrictions from March 7 and look forward to welcoming visitors back into the Trust."
From Monday, a bookable appointment system will be in place for adult inpatients to have one named person visit them through a bookable appointment system.
Pregnant women are able to have one person accompany them to pre-birth appointments and they are allowed two birthing partners.
Children will be able to have both parents with them in hospital, while adults attending A&E will be able to be accompanied.
Melanie Johnson, Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals at the Trust added: "We know how important spending time with loved ones is to our patients and the positive effect it can have on recovery and wellbeing. We are all looking forward to welcoming visitors back into our hospitals, but do ask that they follow the guidance we have set out.
"This includes wearing a facemask at all times in our buildings and following all of the guidance given to them by our team to help keep our patients and staff safe."
Visitors will also be asked to wear PPE when on hospital wards and to stay away should they feel ill or if a household member has Covid-19.
In the North East, other hospital trusts like Northumbria Healthcare and the Gateshead Health NHS Trusts have already eased restrictions on visitors.
