Entertainment
Kirstie Allsopp criticises hospitals for being ‘wildly slow and unimaginative’ in handling visitors-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro
Kirstie didn’t hold back.
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Kirstie Allsopp claims hospitals have been ‘wildly slow and unimaginative’ in the way they’ve dealt with visitors during the pandemic.
The Location Location Location presenter campaigned during lockdowns for hospitals to maintain ‘reasonable access’ for patients’ friends and family, and she insisted while it shouldn’t be a ‘free for all’, more can still be done.
Appearing on LBC’s Tonight With Andrew Marr on Thursday, she said: ‘I think they’ve been wildly slow and unimaginative.
‘And the reason I think that is because there are hospitals who have normal visiting practices – obviously it’s not a free for all, hospitals aren’t Disneyland, you know?
‘Two visitors around the bed is quite enough and 11am to 8pm, don’t stay too long. That’s all reasonable. But if many, many hospitals are able to do that there’s no data to support the hospitals who aren’t doing that.’
Kirstie insisted there is a ‘vast difference’ between hospitals and the way they cater for visitors.
Kirstie Allsopp has passionately campaigned on the issue (Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
‘A vast difference Andrew. I mean, I don’t want to name hospitals here, but there are hospitals all over the country which have enormous differences,’ she added.
‘Some hospitals where you can only visit by appointment or worse. They have a system called “a purpose for visit”.
‘Obviously, as you know, if someone has suffered from a stroke or post operative delirium or has received bad news and had to have rushed surgery, they’re in shock and familiar faces are incredibly medically important.’
More: NHS
She pointed to the strain choosing one or two designated visitors can put on family members, and revealed her passion for the cause was sparked by two instances during lockdown.
‘The death of a great friend’s mother in a care home when she hadn’t seen her for many weeks began it. But then a year ago, a great friend’s father had a stroke while in hospital,’ she explained.
‘His vaccinated mother who had the early signs of dementia and daughter – also double vaccinated – were not allowed to visit him for six weeks. This seemed to me completely unreasonable – cruel is the word, yes.’
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