Hospital Trust introduces messaging service to keep families in touch with loved ones

Staff at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) have introduced a new service to help families and friends keep in touch with their loved ones while coronavirus restrictions are in place.

The new Message to My Loved One service is being run by UHBW’s patient experience team with the support of Trust voluntary services and allows people to send in messages via email or a dedicated phone line, which will then be printed and delivered to patients.

Messages received by 11am each day, Monday to Friday, will be delivered that day to inpatients in our hospitals.

The Trust is also offering the chance for people to drop off small gifts, letters or essential personal items from 10.30am to 12.30pm Monday to Friday, which members of the team can pass on. We aim to deliver the items to the wards as soon as possible from them being delivered, but it may be not be the same day.

Carolyn Mills, chief nurse at UHBW, said: “We know it is important for our patients to keep in contact with family and friends and we will support them where possible to make use of any telephone or video calls so they can keep in contact with their loved ones.

“But it is also important that we look at other ways we can help people keep in touch and this new Message to My Loved One service gives people a chance to try something a bit different to the normal routine methods of communication at a distance.

“We appreciate this is a difficult time and would like to thank everyone for their understanding and support to help us keep our patients, staff and community safe.”

If you would like to send a message to a loved one in hospital please email messagetomylovedone@uhbw.nhs.uk or call 0117 342 1561 for Bristol hospital sites or 01934 881394 for Weston General Hospital.

If you would like to drop off a small gift, letter or essential personal items for a loved one in hospitals, please follow the following guidance:

• Small, essential items only
• No food, drink, flowers or valuables
• Please place items in a sealed bag clearly labelled with the patient’s name and ward. If the ward is not known then please include date of birth or home address.
• We aim to deliver items to the wards as soon as possible from them being delivered, but it may be not be the same day.

Items can be dropped off from 10.30am to 12.30pm Monday to Friday at the Patient Possessions Drop-Off point in the main entrance of the Bristol Royal Infirmary and to the main reception desk at Weston General Hospital.