News

Medical Ward 1 in Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway will be closed to new adult medical admissions until further notice, as a result of a small number of cases of norovirus.

To help prevent further spread, the ward will be closed to medical admissions until further notice (with the exception of patients requiring admission to the High Dependency Unit and paediatric patients).  

Norovirus is one of the most common stomach bugs in the UK that causes vomiting and diarrhoea. It can be very unpleasant, but usually goes away in about two days.   

However, if it spreads across hospitals or care homes, it can be dangerous for those who are most vulnerable and can also cause significant service disruption.   

The main symptoms of norovirus are:  

• feeling sick (nausea)  
• diarrhoea  
• being sick (vomiting)  

An Incident Management Team has been established to ensure all necessary measures are in place to prevent further spread within the ward.   

In terms of Hospital visiting, we are asking friends and relatives of inpatients to only visit if necessary and to restrict the number of people visiting patients. This is to ensure our patients are protected, but also to ensure that visitors do not contract norovirus. Please ensure you do not visit patients if you feel unwell or have experienced norovirus symptoms in the last 48 hours. Visitors should ensure they wash their hands before and after visiting. 

Please do not visit under any circumstances if you develop symptoms.  

NHS Western Isles Medical Director, Dr Frank McAuley, said: “If you have norovirus, you can usually treat yourself or your child at home. The most important thing is to rest and have lots of fluids to avoid dehydration. You will usually start to feel better in two to three days. It’s important that you stay off school, nursery or work until you have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 48 hours – as this is when you are most infectious. It’s also very important that you do not visit hospitals or care homes during that infectious period.”  

Norovirus can spread very easily and you can catch norovirus from:  

• close contact with someone with norovirus  
• touching surfaces or objects that have the virus on them, then touching your mouth  
• eating food that's been prepared or handled by someone with norovirus  

You can get norovirus more than once because the virus is always changing and your body is unable to build up long-term resistance to it.  

Washing your hands frequently with soap and water is the best way to stop it spreading. Alcohol hand gels do not kill norovirus.  

Maintain basic hygiene and cleaning to help stop the spread of norovirus by:  

• disinfecting any surfaces or objects that could be contaminated, using a bleach-based household cleaner.  
• washing any items of clothing or bedding that could have become contaminated separately on a hot wash (60°C) to ensure the virus is killed.  
• not sharing towels and flannels  
• flushing any poo or vomit in the toilet and cleaning the surrounding area with a bleach-based household cleaner  
• avoiding eating raw, unwashed food  
• only eating oysters from a reliable source as they can carry norovirus  
  

If you have symptoms that you are concerned about, you should phone your GP or NHS24 on 111 for advice – please do not attend your GP Practice without contacting the surgery if you have symptoms.