The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word INPATIENT
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
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More clues leading to the result INPATIENT
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "hospital visitor" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case hospital visitor = inpatient.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does INPATIENT mean?
INPATIENT noun- A patient whose treatment needs at least one night's residence in a hospital; a hospitalized patient.