Grief for family over visitor ban
A grieving son has hit out at hospital chiefs for restricting family members to 10-minute visits to his dying father because of the norovirus outbreak.
A grieving son has hit out at hospital chiefs for restricting family members to 10-minute visits to his dying father because of the norovirus outbreak.
Christopher Tolley said unlimited access to his father was only given 24 hours before his death, despite the family's pleas to be allowed to sit with him earlier.
Grandfather-of-three William Tolley died in Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital on February 5.
He died nearly four weeks after being admitted from his Wednesfield Road home with a brain tumour.
A blanket visitor ban was introduced on January 17 following an epidemic of the winter vomiting sickness. Restrictions are still in place but have been relaxed.
Mr Tolley said: "We had a week of proper visiting before the ban came in. He was getting worse at that point but we were told by a nurse and a ward sister that we couldn't visit him.
"When we appealed to the ward manager, we were told he wasn't ill enough to warrant a visit. A few days later he was dead.
"In the end they relented but said only one visitor at a time and only for five to 10 minutes."
The 41-year-old said that it was particularly frustrating not to have been able to take advantage of a brief period when his father appeared to be improving.
"We knew it would be temporary but he was talking fine and we weren't able to stay with him," he said.
"They did let us stay for his last 24 hours but by then he couldn't communicate with us."
Mr Tolley, of Sally Ward Drive, Walsall Wood, and his brother Alan Tolley, aged 47, of Dickinson Avenue, Bushbury, said it was clear their father was critically ill.
Today the hospital expressed its deepest sympathy but said the ban had been necessary after it battled its worst outbreak of the bug since 2002.
Spokesman Chris Watkins said: "We recognise the impact that recent visitor restrictions at New Cross have had on the family of Mr Tolley.
"Whilst the implementation of visiting restrictions at New Cross has been regrettable, it has also been necessary in the interests of patient safety and containing and combating the norovirus outbreak."
