King’s Mill Hospital Closes Additional Wards Amid Norovirus Outbreak

Additional hospital wards have been closed at a Nottinghamshire hospital due to an outbreak of norovirus. The initial ward at King’s Mill Hospital, located in Sutton-in-Ashfield, was shut down on Wednesday following nine patients contracting the contagious illness, also referred to as the “winter vomiting bug”. That ward has since reopened; however, two more have been closed, according to a statement released on Friday by Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the entity responsible for operating the facility. Sally Palmer, a nurse consultant specializing in infection, prevention, and control, stated: “We know that during the winter periods we will see cases of norovirus and we have plans in place to deal with that and to manage it safely.” On Friday, the trust verified that nine patients had tested positive for the illness, seven were exhibiting symptoms, and 32 patients who had been in contact with a positive patient had been identified. Ms. Palmer indicated that new patients would not be admitted to the wards that were closed, and patients who were affected would only be discharged if they could return to their own residences and not to another care facility, like a care home. She also mentioned that it was “inevitable” for the trust to encounter norovirus cases during this season. Visitors were advised to avoid attending the hospital if feasible, “especially if they’re coming to visit somebody who is symptomatic,” though Ms. Palmer noted that the trust acknowledged some visitors would “need” to attend. Concurrently, cleaning efforts on wards have been intensified, with “high-touch areas” like door handles being cleaned more often, and positive patients, when possible, being relocated to side rooms to minimize the risk of transmission to others. Ms. Palmer stated: “It’s still important that if patients need to come to the hospital, absolutely do come in. “We can’t say you won’t get norovirus when we have cases within that trust but we do everything we can to reduce that risk.”