AIBU to want the hospital to follow the NICE guidelines?

[CloseEncountersOfTheTurdKind]

My daughter needs to have a CT scan. She will be having a GA as she is too young to lie still. The hospital have said our whole household have to isolate for 14 days prior to this. I and my daughter will be having covid tests 3 days before. The NICE guidelines state that hospitals should follow the guidelines from the Royal College of Paediatrics about isolation before surgery. These guidelines say that families should not be asked to isolate for 14 days, just that they should isolate from the date of the covid test. I am a carer for my Dad who lives an hour away. I have other children. It's just not practical for us to isolate for 2 weeks. It's not fair on my other kids. We have a very small house and the hospital have said we cant even go for a walk in the park! If the NICE guidelines said isolate for 14 days I would accept it. But I don't understand how I can be asked to isolate for 14 days when the guidance is 3 days. I've had my first vaccination and we have kept all the rules. We've not seen our siblings since before Christmas and were going to meet up outdoors with one of them over the Easter weekend. That would be 10 days before the GA so we would have to cancel that too.

How would they know if you've done it or not?

You will be entering a building with extremely vulnerable people. In the same way you would not want your children put at risk, don’t put others at risk.

They're general guidelines. Not all hospitals have the ability to follow them. Your hospital needs to reduce the risk of transmission more. It means your daughter is safer while she's there and that they're less likely to have an outbreak that stops people having operations.

That seems excessive! I had a CT scan recently and no covid tests or isolating required. I've only had to isolate when going into hospital for surgery.

@Potterythrowdown

How would they know if you've done it or not?

This, if you’re having a test three days before and isolate from then what difference does it make?

Obviously you’re taking a risk the test might come back positive & the hospital appointment would need rescheduling, if that happens is it the end of the world?

Oh sorry just reread, is it because she needs GA? Still seem excessive.

We have had multiple appointments at the same hospital over the past few months and never had to isolate or take a covid test, so the comment about not putting people at risk doesn't really make much sense if there are hundreds of people who have not isolated or taken a test going in through the same doors!

The nice guidelines are just that guidelines so hospitals don't have to follow them.

I would say as a theatre staff member. She is having an aerosol generated procedure (GA) which is the highest risk of spreading covid which may be their thinking behind it?
Our trust still only isolates for 3 days unless the patient urgently requires their surgery we suggest 2 weeks as their more likely to have a negative swab this way.

What I would say is the trust will never know, good luck for your daughters ct

Thanks daisy95
I'm not suggesting we are going to go to wild parties or even hug relatives! I just want to be allowed to take my kids for a bit of exercise in the park, and to be able to visit my Dad who is vulnerable!

The reason the lady above didn’t need to dislodge maybe because she didn’t need a GA. our hospital require isolation before general anaesthetic.

@CloseEncountersOfTheTurdKind

Thanks daisy95 I'm not suggesting we are going to go to wild parties or even hug relatives! I just want to be allowed to take my kids for a bit of exercise in the park, and to be able to visit my Dad who is vulnerable!

2 weeks is a really long time I totally understand! That's why majority are just using the 3 day isolation because it doesn't matter once you've got a negative swab. It seems excessive but just wanted you to know why 🙂

I guess the issue might be that it takes a few days between picking up Covid and a test showing positive. So if you're out and about as normal until the day of the test, there is a risk that you could have be in the early stage of covid, test negative and inadvertently take it on to the ward with you.

It looks like your hospital is going for belts and braces approach. Are there particularly vulnerable patients on the ward?

I'm a paediatric nurse. All of our elective patients have to shield for 7 days, then a test as close as possible to admission date. Though I suspect many people don't do it as they should. But we will cancel surgery if this has not been done.

@ILoveExcel a CT scan for an adult is done as an outpatient. A child who needs A GA is an inpatient.

She may be being admitted to a shielded ward.

I could manage a week. But 2 weeks without supporting my Dad would cause problems

I get it. I have 6 dc and I had to shield before I had surgery recently.

Its a massive pain in the arse, but I just did it and made the best of it so that an inconvenience for me didn't risk someone's life.

The main issue for me isn't the inconvenience. It's that my Dad has recently come out of mental hospital after a long stay and he won't cope without seeing me for 2 weeks. The kids being stuck in doors for 2 weeks would be very hard but we could cope.

Could he move in with you for 2 weeks?

Unfortunately not, we have a tiny house with all 3dc in one bedroom! I'm going to speak to the hospital and see if they would be ok with me seeing him if I take extra precautions, and don't see him after the covid test. No harm in asking, and I'm hoping they might agree since what I am suggesting would be in line with the NICE guidelines anyway!