Coronavirus: Birmingham and Black Country hospital limit visitors

Hospital trusts across Birmingham and the Black Country are limiting visitors to try to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital Trust said it was introducing the restrictions on all its wards and departments.

Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust said it was suspending visiting and introducing special measures in maternity.

Visitors will also be limited at University Hospitals Birmingham.

The Sandwell trust runs Sandwell General, Birmingham City and Rowley Regis hospitals.

Visitors for children or those receiving end-of life care will still be permitted, as will birthing partners, the trust said.

Telephone and video calls will be made available to those not allowed to visit, it said.

In addition, a "significant number" of outpatient appointments will either be rearranged or take place over the phone from Monday, the trust said.

In a statement the trust said: "We are sorry for this inconvenience as we aim to limit the spread of coronavirus".

In Wolverhampton, the trust running New Cross, Cannock Chase and West Park hospitals said it was suspending all visits to wards in all its locations.

Only one birthing partner will be permitted to visit those in maternity wards at New Cross though parents would be able to visit neo-natal wards, a trust spokeswoman said.

Its paediatric wards will still allow one parent or carer to be with the child under their care, the spokeswoman added.

On Twitter, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QE), run by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, said it was limiting visitors to one over 16-year-old per patient.

As well as the QE, the trust runs Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Solihull Hospital and Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield.