Darent Valley Hospital’s visiting hours are being extended in a bid to ease traffic congestion before an extra 100 parking spaces are built.

Friends and relatives can now see patients on some wards anytime between 9am and 8pm, replacing set visiting times, which in some instances was just a two-hour window.

The move was approved at a board meeting following a hospital survey of 300 people, where most respondents said they were at Darent Valley to visit others.

Although the trust has put plans in place, the opening times have yet to be introduced across all 27 wards.

Director of nursing and quality Vikki Carruth said: “Most patients in hospital look forward to the time when they can see their friends and loved ones.

“A familiar face can help bring back that much needed sense of normality and having a friend or family member at the bedside is beneficial and reassuring for both patient and visitor.

“It also provides an opportunity for visitors to remain and become involved in their loved one’s care by helping with such things as personal care or encouragement and support at mealtimes. A familiar face for anxious or confused patients is also hugely important.

“Open visiting is a bold move for the hospital but one that we believe is in the best interests of our patients.

“We do need people to continue to be understanding, supportive and flexible and be mindful of patients’ privacy and dignity and also when staff are carrying out essential duties but together I am sure that we can improve each patient’s wellbeing and improve communication at the same time.”

Those who wish to visit outside the new hours can make special arrangements with staff to do so.

Bosses also hope extending visitor hours could result in less traffic congestion.

People have often complained about the queues to get onto the site and finding a place to park.

In November, a deal was struck with private firm Vinci Park to create an extra 101 spaces for patients.The work is under way and could be completed before the end of the month.

A hospital spokesman said: “We have seen a steady increase in the number of people using our services and subsequently the demand for parking spaces has increased significantly.

“Although we recommend the use of public transport whenever possible, too few parking spaces at the hospital continues to cause problems.

“We do take parking at the hospital very seriously and to help ease the situation we have recently agreed with Vinci Park, the company that manages parking, to create an extra 101 public parking spaces. This should reduce the queuing on the approaches to the hospital.

“Open visiting should also help alleviate the parking problems at the hospital by allowing people to travel at different and more convenient times of day.”

This summer, bosses will also submit plans to Dartford council for another 400 spaces, shared between staff and the public, at the front of the hospital.