When to Avoid Visiting Hospitals and Care Homes

If you have had sickness or diarrhoea, the rule is simple: do not visit a hospital or care home until 48 hours after the last episode. The same wait applies if you have been in contact with someone who has had diarrhoea and vomiting in the last 48 hours¹. Norovirus spreads very easily, and a visit from someone who is still infectious can take an outbreak into a ward or a home full of frail people.

For coughs, colds and flu the advice is softer but still clear. Official guidance says to stay away from people at increased risk of becoming more unwell from respiratory infections, if possible, and not to visit hospitals or care homes⁴. If you have flu symptoms, stay at home if you can⁵. A mild illness for you can be a serious one for a resident.

This page sets out when to stay away, how ward closures and visiting restrictions work during an outbreak, how to keep in touch when you cannot visit, and how to visit safely when you do go. It covers England first, with the differences in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland noted where they matter.

Stay away for 48 hours after sickness or diarrhoea stops

The 48 hour rule is the one to remember. NHS inform advises staying off work or school until at least 48 hours after norovirus symptoms have stopped, and avoiding visiting anyone in hospital during this time¹. The infection prevention team at one NHS integrated care board puts it in terms of visitors: do not visit health care settings if you, or someone you have been in contact with, has had diarrhoea and/or vomiting until 48 hours after symptoms have ceased².

The same 48 hour exclusion appears across official guidance for other tummy bugs. Shropshire Council advises staying off work, school or nursery until you have been completely free from any diarrhoea symptoms for 48 hours¹⁰. Guidance on Salmonella and E. coli (STEC) gives the same advice: stay away from work, school or nursery until you have stopped having symptoms for at least 48 hours⁶. The principle is consistent: two full days clear before you mix with others.

Why so long? Norovirus is very infectious, and people can still pass it on in the days after they feel better. The 48 hours is a margin that protects the people you would visit. Care home residents and hospital patients are often older or already unwell, and a tummy bug that lasts a day or two in a healthy adult can be far more serious for them.

If you have been in contact with someone who has diarrhoea and vomiting, the same caution applies. Warwickshire County Council advises that if you have been in contact with someone with diarrhoea and vomiting in the last 48 hours, please do not visit relatives or friends in hospital or residential and nursing homes³. Contact means living with them, caring for them or being close to them while they were ill.

Coughs, colds, flu and other infections: when to keep away

Respiratory infections follow a different pattern. There is no fixed 48 hour rule, but the advice is to keep your distance from people who would suffer most. NHS guidance on COVID-19 says to stay away from people at increased risk of becoming more unwell from respiratory infections, if possible, and not to visit hospitals or care homes⁴.

For flu, the advice is to stay at home if you can to help avoid spreading germs to others⁵. NHS guidance on flu says to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you have a high temperature, feel hot, cold or shivery, or do not feel well enough to do your normal activities¹¹. Derbyshire County Council's flu guidance repeats the message: if you have flu symptoms, stay at home if you can⁵.

For children, the COVID-19 guidance gives a rough guide rather than a hard limit. If a child or young person aged 18 or under tests positive or has respiratory symptoms, they should stay at home and can return when they no longer have a fever and do not need medicine to control it. There is no specific time limit, and 48 hours is a rough guide⁴.

If you are normally healthy, many coughs, colds and minor illnesses in winter can be safely managed yourself, with advice from the NHS and your local pharmacist¹². That does not mean you should visit a ward with them. It means you do not need to seek urgent care for yourself, and you can afford to wait until you are well before visiting.

Ward closures and visiting restrictions during outbreaks

When an outbreak takes hold in a hospital or care home, the setting may restrict visiting. One NHS trust's infection control guidance explains that in norovirus outbreak situations it may be necessary to apply visiting restrictions, and that an information notice will be displayed at the entrance to the ward and visitors notified¹³. If you arrive and see a notice, read it before you go in.

Restrictions are there to break the chain of infection. Norovirus spreads through contact with contaminated surfaces, hands and food, and visitors are one of the ways it moves between wards and into the community. Closing a ward to visitors is a blunt measure, but it is used when the risk to patients is high.

The four nations take a similar approach, with local variation. In Wales, official guidance says to stay at home if you are ill and limit your contact with others¹⁴. NHS guidance on self-isolation for people living with others says not to have any visitors such as friends and family in your home¹⁵. The wording differs, but the principle is the same across the UK: when you are ill, you limit contact.

If you are unsure whether a ward is open to visitors, phone before you travel. A notice at the entrance only helps once you are there. A call ahead saves a wasted journey and avoids putting pressure on staff during a busy outbreak.

Ways to stay in touch when you cannot visit

Not visiting does not mean losing contact. There are practical ways to stay close while you wait out the 48 hours or a ward closure.

• Phone the ward or home. Staff can often arrange a call or pass on a message. Ask what is possible.
• Use text and messaging. Official advice on staying in contact in an emergency is to use non-voice channels such as texting or social media, as these are less likely to be broken up and will use less battery¹⁶. The same logic applies when someone is in a setting with limited phone access.
• Send cards, letters or photos. These do not carry infection and give the person something to look at between visits.
• Ask about video calls. Many settings can set up a video call if you ask in advance.
• Keep in touch with the staff. They can tell you how the person is and when visiting is likely to reopen.

If you are unwell yourself, official guidance is to try to stay home or avoid contact with other people, because some diseases have specific exclusion periods¹⁷. Staying well in winter guidance adds a simple instruction: stay at home if you are not well¹⁹. That applies to visits as much as to work.

For people who live alone or are isolated, keeping in contact matters for wellbeing as well as information. Official guidance on looking out for others during hot weather is to keep in contact by phone or visiting them²⁰. When visiting is not possible, the phone call becomes the visit.

If you are going away and cannot visit for a period, tell the people who need to know. Official household emergency planning advice is to remember to tell family, friends and carers where you are going, and let NHS or social care providers know if you receive visits from them²¹. The same courtesy helps a care home plan around your absence.

Visiting safely when you do go

When you are well and visiting is allowed, a few habits make the visit safer for everyone.

• Wash your hands with soap and water before you go in and after you leave. Alcohol gels do not kill norovirus, so do not rely on them⁶.
• Do not share towels or wash cloths if you are staying with someone who has been ill¹³.
• Check the ward notice for any restrictions before you enter¹³.
• Keep children close and supervised. Take extra care when visiting relatives' houses, as they may have medicines and other dangerous products within reach²². The same caution applies in a care home or hospital room with equipment and supplies.
• Keep your child out of the kitchen where possible if you are visiting a relative's home, to reduce the risk of burns and scalds²⁴.
• Do not visit if you feel unwell, even mildly, if the person you are visiting is at increased risk⁸.

If you are visiting someone at home rather than in a setting, the same principles apply. Wash your hands, keep your distance if you have a cough, and do not bring a tummy bug into the house.

If you are caring for a disabled person and an emergency means it is too dangerous to visit them, call the emergency services and tell them someone you care for needs help²⁶. Do not put yourself in danger to make a visit.

Visiting with children

Children can visit, but they need more supervision and a bit more planning. There is no single national rule on children visiting hospitals or care homes, and it depends on the setting and any outbreak restrictions in place. Phone ahead and ask.

If your child is unwell, keep them at home. NHS guidance on COVID-19 says to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you or your child have symptoms and either have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to go to work, school, childcare, or do your normal activities⁸. A child with a temperature should not be taken into a ward or a home.

If you work as a childminder and are suffering from food poisoning symptoms, you should not look after children until you have been symptom-free for 48 hours¹⁰. The same 48 hour principle protects the children you visit.

During the visit, keep children close. Hospitals and care homes have equipment, medicines and surfaces that are not child-proof. Take extra care when visiting relatives' houses, as they may have medicines and other dangerous products within reach²². Keep your child out of the kitchen whenever possible if you are in a home, to reduce the risk of burns and scalds²⁴.

Checking before you travel

A quick check before you set off saves a wasted journey and protects the people you are going to see.

1. Phone the ward or care home. Ask whether visiting is allowed and whether there are any restrictions in place¹³.
2. Check your own health. If you have had sickness or diarrhoea in the last 48 hours, or been in contact with someone who has, do not go¹.
3. Check the weather if you are travelling far. During a red warning, official advice is to avoid travelling, where possible, and follow the advice of the emergency services and local authorities²⁷.
4. Tell someone where you are going. Official household planning advice is to tell family, friends and carers where you are going, and let NHS or social care providers know if you receive visits from them²¹.
5. Plan how you will keep in touch if visiting is not possible¹⁶.

If severe weather is forecast, check the warnings before you travel. A red warning is the highest level, and the advice is to avoid travelling where possible²⁷. A hospital visit is not worth a journey in dangerous conditions, and the ward will understand.

If you are going away and will not be able to visit for a while, cancel deliveries of milk, newspapers or vegetable boxes before you go²⁸. This is good household practice and it means nothing piles up at the door while you are away.

Where to get help

If you are unsure whether to visit, or you need advice about an illness, there are people who can help.

• NHS 111 can advise on symptoms and whether you need to seek care. Use the NHS 111 guide to see what it can help with.
• Your GP practice can advise on whether you or a family member should stay away from a setting. Do not go to the GP surgery with norovirus, as it spreads easily; phone instead¹.
• The ward or care home can tell you about visiting restrictions and end of life arrangements⁹.
• Local volunteer groups can collect shopping and deliver it to your door, and will not normally enter your home²⁹. This helps if you are supporting someone who cannot get out.
• The fire and rescue service offers safe and well visits for people at risk in their own home. A visit may not be needed; instead you may be given up to date guidance on reducing fire risk and free smoke alarms if required³⁰.

For more on staying safe when you are ill, see Staying at Home When Ill and Stopping Infections Spreading at Home. For norovirus specifically, see Norovirus: Symptoms, How Long It Lasts and Stopping It Spreading. For flu, see Flu: Symptoms, Staying at Home and When to Get Help. For COVID-19, see COVID-19 Now: Symptoms, Testing and Staying at Home.

If you are caring for someone who is ill at home, the checklist for caring for someone ill at home sets out what to have ready. If you need to know how long to stay off work or school after vomiting and diarrhoea, see How Long to Stay Off Work or School After Vomiting and Diarrhoea.