AFTERNOON visiting to a hospital ward at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary is to be suspended for two days this week to allow a 'deep clean' to take place.

The University Hospital of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust plan to undertake a major cleaning operation on the Ripley ward tomorrow and Thursday.

A 'technical process' will be used that has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of infection.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Joann Morse, deputy chief nurse for the RLI said: “We have chosen this ward as the first one to carry out ‘fogging’ on because the patients who are treated on this ward tend to be in a higher risk group.

“We want to apologise to patients and their relatives for disturbing afternoon visiting and we hope that we will be supported in our efforts to make our wards even safer.

“We will do this for the shortest amount of time necessary to carry out all the work, and hope to minimise the inconvenience to patients and their visitors.”

Usual visiting will be resumed following the cleaning operation and evening visiting will not be affected.