All Raigmore wards open again
Ward 5C at Inverness’ Raigmore Hospital has reopened (Monday, May 4).
All wards are now open as normal.
The ward, which was closed to new admissions and visitors on Thursday (23) because of a norovirus outbreak, is the last of the closed wards to reopen. Wards 7C, 2C and 3A had also been closed due to norovirus but, following a deep clean, all wards are now fully operational.
Iona McGauran, Interim Lead Nurse for Raigmore Hospital, praised all the staff for their hard work during the outbreak: "I’m pleased to say that all wards at Raigmore are now operating as normal and would like to thank all the staff who have worked incredibly hard during the outbreak.
"The ward staff and our infection prevention and control team have done an excellent job in keeping this outbreak as contained as much as possible while also ensuring that patients were getting the best possible care. Our domestic staff have also played a huge part and have done a sterling job in cleaning which has allowed us to reopen these wards."
Mrs McGauran also paid tribute to members of the public for their understanding and cooperation during the outbreak.
She said: "We appreciate how difficult it is having loved ones in hospital and not being able to visit them and I would like to thank members of the public for their help during this period, particularly when we closed the hospital to all visitors.
"That was not a decision we took lightly and again I would like to thank everyone for their understanding and cooperation as to why we took that decision."
Dr Adam Brown, Consultant Microbiologist for NHS Highland, also thanked everyone for their help and cooperation during this outbreak but he also asked that everyone remain vigilant as norovirus is still present in the community: "Norovirus is still very active in the community so we would ask that everyone remain vigilant.
"If you, or anyone you live with, has had had any vomiting or diarrhoea within the previous 48hrs please do not come into the hospital. By doing this we will be able to reduce, as much as we can, the chance of norovirus coming back into the hospital."
Norovirus, which causes diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, spreads in the air where someone has had diarrhoea or vomited and is extremely infectious. It is important that everyone plays their part in reducing outbreak risks.
There is no specific treatment for a norovirus infection and it is not usually necessary to visit a doctor. The best course of action is to stay at home, take paracetamol to relieve symptoms of any fever and to drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration. People should also adhere to strict hand washing techniques to reduce the spread of the virus.
