Support for patients and families during COVID 19 When a relative is in Hospital. A message from Bucks Healthcare Trust.

Posted on May 18th, 2020

We know this is an especially difficult and worrying time if you have a relative or someone you care for who is currently in hospital. Being unable to visit them can make the stress and worry extremely tough. We’ve therefore put some support in place to try and reduce this stress and help you keep you in contact with those whom you love:

Patient Advice and Liaison service .You can now contact our patient advice and liaison service every day of the week from 10am-6pm including an emergency service at weekends. Contact us by phone on 01296 316042 or email bht.pals@nhs.net . The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is our ‘one-stop-shop’ for patients, carers and relatives seeking advice and information on all aspects of the Trust’s services.

Send a Letter to a Loved One We know how important it is for you to keep in touch with friends and relatives who have to be in our hospitals. We have set up a dedicated email address bht.lettertoalovedone@nhs.net so that you can send a letter to a loved one. You may also include one photograph. We will print it out, pop it into an envelope and deliver it to your loved one for them to keep and re-read as they wish.

Emotional and spiritual support for relatives and carers-Our Chaplaincy team are extending their emotional and spiritual support service to include the family and carers of patients currently in hospital. To make an appointment contact: Lindsay van Dijk-Lead Chaplain lindsay.vandijk@nhs.net Call: 07557 633289

 ‘Virtual visits’ by video call.  We know nothing is as good as seeing your loved one face to face but we will do all we can to support patients to have video calls. We can help patients do this with their own phones and we also have iPads we can use for this purpose. For any queries about virtual visits contact Amarjit.kaur9@nhs.net

For further details click below:

https://www.buckshealthcare.nhs.uk/coronavirus/keeping-in-contact-during-covid-19.htm