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Visiting hours

As of Monday 16 January, in response to feedback from patients and their families, visiting hours across University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust have been extended.

It is widely recognised that support from family and friends, in the form of hospital visits, is an integral part of any patient's recovery and extended visiting  allows more flexibility for relatives to visit their loved ones at a time that suits them.

This new approach also forms part of the Trust's aim to make its hospitals more patient friendly by giving relatives and carers the chance to spend more time with their loved ones and have an active role in their care while they are in hospital.

Visiting times are now as follows:

8am to 9pm in

  • Bristol Heart Institute
  • Bristol Royal Infirmary (with the exception of the General Intensive Care Unit)
  • South Bristol Community Hospital
  • Bristol Eye Hospital
  • Ward 78, St Michael's Hospital

St Michaels Hospital

In maternity areas, visiting hours on  Wards 73 and 76 at St Michaels Hospital are between 2 and 7.30pm, and for patient partners is open any time. Please note we do not allow children who are not siblings of the baby to visit.

In Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) parents and siblings can visit anytime, and other visitors such as extended family and friends are able to visit between 4pm and 7pm each day.

visiting timesThe Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and the Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre has no restrictions to their visiting times.

At University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust we understand how stressful being in hospital can be both for the patients and their loved ones and know how much of a boost to a patient's morale and recovery visits from friends and relatives can be. The changes to visiting hours will give more flexibility to relatives as to when they can visit and to the role they can play in the care of their loved ones.  Please understand that patients also need to rest to help them get better as quickly as possible and that there will be occasions when, for clinical reasons or patient choice, visitors may be asked to return later or move to another area of the ward for a short period of time.   We recognise that families and carers know their family member better than anyone and that they make an invaluable contribution to helping the recovery of patients. We encourage visiting and the involvement of visitors whilst patients are in hospital and will always listen to, respect and respond to information or concerns provided by families and carers.  

We have developed a Visitors Charter which we would ask you to adhere to when visiting our hospital Wards.

The charter can be viewed here.