VISITING restrictions will remain in place at Russells Hall Hospital despite the easing of coronavirus lockdown measures.

While shops and attractions may be getting set to re-open next week, the ban on general visiting will continue at the Dudley hospital where 257 patients with COVID-19 have now died since the pandemic began.

NHS England figures, which are published daily, show coronavirus related deaths at the hospital have been falling over the past few weeks but the restrictions which prohibit visiting except in exceptional circumstances (and on maternity, children's and neonatal wards where birth partners and parents only are allowed) will remain in place until at least the end of the month.

Diane Wake, Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust chief executive, said: "We have decided as a trust, together with our provider colleagues across the Black Country, that we will continue with our existing restrictions on visitors at the moment. We will review this further at the end of June and we will only be increasing visiting when we can safely do this without increased risk to the public."

She added: "The numbers of COVID-19 admissions and deaths have fallen dramatically but as a trust we would ask our community to continue to stay alert, control the virus, and save lives."

Ms Wake said she was "incredibly proud" of how staff have responded over the last three months and she added: "They have shown compassion, professionalism and commitment which has gone above and beyond the call of duty. Whether on our sites or in community, where staff have continued to go into patients’ homes during this difficult time, they have shown a real ‘Dudley spirit’. Now, as we work on restoring services, they are again showing a willingness to adapt and to put the needs of our community at the forefront.

"Dealing with the COVID-19 crisis has led to some innovative ways of working, many of which will continue as we look to provide the best possible health care moving forward. I have been so impressed by everyone’s response to the pandemic and for embracing new ways of working."

Many outpatient appointments have been switched to video consultation calls to prevent patients having to attend the hospital during the pandemic and Ms Wake said for those who do attend: "We have measures in place to keep them safe including social distancing markers on our floors, hand gels are readily available and we swab every patient for COVID who comes for an overnight stay.

"For planned procedures, patients will also be tested before they come in for surgery. We have zoning in place so patients coming in for non-COVID treatment can be confident they are entering a non-COVID area. We continue to respond to all the guidance on the wearing of face masks and face coverings, both for our staff and members of the public coming on site."

Latest figures published by the Office of National Statistics show ten per cent of all 2,036 deaths at the hospital this year have been linked to COVID-19 and at the peak of the outbreak, at the end of March, 28 per cent of those who died at the hospital had the virus.

Ms Wake said: "Every death is a tragedy and our hearts go out to everyone who has lost a loved one during this pandemic."

Among the tragedies, however, there have been moments of hope and happiness during the pandemic.

This week staff said farewell to a coronavirus patient who had been hospitalised since March 20 but is now on the road to recovery from COVID-19.

A spokesman for the trust said: "It seemed only right to celebrate his recovery from COVID-19 and clap him out as he headed back home to his family."