Three community hospitals and 12 wards at the Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital are closed to visitors.
Outbreaks of coronavirus and norovirus are to blame, says the North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospitals.
Keswick, Cockermouth and Brampton hospitals are currently closed and at Carlisle’s Cumberland Infirmary, Elm A, Larch A, Beech C, Willow C and Maple A, B, C and D wards are closed to visitors.
At the West Cumberland in Whitehaven, Ward 3, Ward 2, Ward 4a and the Copeland Unit are not accepting visitors.
Visiting across all inpatient units also remains by appointment only.
The trust is appealing for understanding as staff continue to deal with a huge demand on services and virus outbreaks across sites.
Nicola O’Reilly, infection prevention matron, said: “When we have an outbreak of any kind on our wards it is normal practice, to suspend visiting to that ward to stop the virus spreading to other staff, patients and visitors.
“Our priority is to keep patients and staff as safe as possible.
“We understand that not being able to visit relatives and loved ones is extremely difficult, but we urge the public to please be understanding and kind to our staff when we explain that visiting is suspended for the ward you would like to visit.”
Georgia Wright, deputy chief nurse, added: “If you call the ward expecting to make a visiting appointment please be understanding for those wards where we have had to suspend visiting.
“We take outbreaks exceptionally seriously, and will do all we can to contain, manage and bring the outbreak to a close as quickly as we can so we can reinstate visiting appointments.”
People are also reminded of the steps that they should take when visiting any of our sites for an appointment or visiting.
- Take a lateral flow test before attending an appointment or visiting. You may be asked to show a negative lateral flow result when you arrive.
- Facemasks should be worn by everyone on site – unless you are exempt.
- Maintain social distance of 2m
- Come to your appointment on your own or with one other person
- Visiting is only by appointment made directly with the ward, however please be aware that visiting may be suspended at short notice if an outbreak occurs.
The trust is also reminding people that its A&E departments are extremely busy.
A spokesman said: “As always, we prioritise those whose needs are most urgent. If you attend for something that is not urgent you may be waiting some time.
“Please do your bit to make sure your access the right service. We advise everyone to go online to 111.nhs.uk to get advice on which service is most appropriate for your needs.”
