Patients in hospitals in East Sussex have been able to video call with their loved ones, thanks to the kind donation of around 50 iPad and Samsung tablets from the local community.
Donated tablet devices for critical care patients
Visits to our hospitals are restricted as we manage the demands of coronavirus (COVID-19), so friends and family have been encouraged to contact patients via phone and video calls. The donated tablets are available for use by patients who don’t have their own device for making and receiving calls. They are being used at Conquest Hospital, Eastbourne DGH, Bexhill Hospital, Rye, Winchelsea and District Memorial Hospital and Firwood House.
The donations include 10 devices from Little Mulbrooks Farm in Hailsham, 20 from an anonymous corporate sponsor, 12 from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Sussex and, thanks to a public appeal by the Friends of Eastbourne Hospital, 4 from the League of Friends at Bexhill Hospital and 2 further iPads donated by the Eastbourne Lions Club along with others from members of the local community.
Vikki Carruth, Director of Nursing said: “It can be easy for patients to feel isolated in hospital and that’s particularly true at the moment, when they can’t have visitors as normal. The donated tablets have made a real difference in helping patients keep in contact with their loved ones. On behalf of the Trust and the patients who’ve been using them, I’d like to say a big thank you to all those who made these kind donations.”