Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital is advising visitors not to attend after an outbreak of a vomiting bug.

A statement from the NHS trust running the hospital announced on Tuesday afternoon that visiting hours would be restricted from the following day.

They also 'strongly recommended' visitors do not come to the hospital on the evening of the December 10, and under 12s do not visit at all.

Otherwise, visitors will only be admitted to the hospital between 6pm and 8pm.

The statement continued: "Visiting will only be permitted outside of these hours in the most exceptional circumstances and must be cleared with the matron responsible for the ward in advance in each case.

"The situation will be kept under constant review and this page will be updated daily."

The restrictions are due to an outbreak of Norovirus, an infection which often causes problems in the winter.

It comes after a patient spoke to the Gazette on Friday, November 29, to report an outbreak of norovirus on his ward.

Michael Penfold, 77, spoke of his upset after his wife was turned away during visiting hours. He understood that the virus was outside the hospital’s control but said it hadn’t been communicated to patients properly.

Mr Penfold, 77, who was being treated for heart problems at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, said he felt staff weren’t sensitive to visitors' needs.

“The staff knew the ward was closed due to an outbreak of norovirus and yet they didn’t tell me beforehand. My wife paid £11 in a taxi to come and see me only to have to pay another £11 to go straight home,” he said.

“When they knew this already, why didn’t they tell us all straight away? All I’ve had to eat is bread and jam and a cup of tea.

Mr Penfold said he lost his 15-year-old daughter at the hospital in 1984. Doctors told him his daughter had mumps when she actually had leukaemia.

“They don’t always get it right,” he said “This hospital just isn’t good enough.”

A spokesman for NHS Hampshire Trust at the time said there were no reports of an outbreak.

Speaking on Friday, November 29, Alex Whitfield, chief executive of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, as well at Royal Hampshire County Hospital, in Winchester, and Andover War Memorial Hospital, said: “Norovirus is becoming prevalent in the community as we head into winter and we are seeing more patients with diarrhoea and vomiting symptoms needing to be treated in our hospitals.

“At present, we do not have any wards closed and there are no restrictions on visiting hours, but this is something that we review on a regular basis to make sure that we are taking all of the necessary precautions to avoid the spread of infection.

“To help us keep our patients safe, visitors are asked not to come into our hospitals if they have experienced sickness or diarrhoea in the last 48 hours.”

  • If you have been affected by the bug or deterred from visiting loved ones, please tell us your story. Get in touch on matthew.farmer@newsquest.co.uk.