A SPECIALIST ward at Great Western Hospital has been closed due to a contained outbreak of Norovirus.

Saturn Ward, an acute medical ward specialising in the care of patients with acute and chronic respiratory conditions, will not reopen until no further cases of the illness come to light.

The outbreak is understood to be contained to the 35-bed ward but a spokesman for the hospital was unable to confirm how many people were on the ward at the time or how many cases there have been.

Ruth Lockwood, Associate Director of Quality and Patient Safety at GWH said: “We can confirm that Saturn Ward is closed due to Norovirus.

"The situation is being closely monitored, and the ward will only be re-opened once no symptoms have been experienced by staff and patients for at least 72 hours and no new cases arise.

"While only one ward is currently affected, the bug is very common in the community at this time of year and it is very important to maintain hygiene levels at all times.

"Patient safety is a top priority for the Trust and we have strict infection prevention and control measures in place to ensure we are reducing the risk of infections and providing patients with the best care possible.

"We therefore encourage all visitors to the hospital to help us protect our patients and themselves, by washing their hands thoroughly and making use of the alcohol gel dispensed outside every ward and unit.

"We also ask all visitors who have experienced vomiting or diarrhoea recently or those who have been in contact with anyone suffering from the symptoms not to visit the hospital.”