A new ‘Parcels to Patients’ service has been set up to help patients receive personal belongings while visiting is restricted because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The service – which has been set up by the trust’s Patient Experience Team – will allow relatives of patients to book a slot to deliver a parcel of personal belongings, which will then be taken to the patient staying in hospital.

The process will be managed by General Office with the support of volunteers recruited through the Trust Voluntary Service.

Garry Perry, Head of Patient Relations, said: “We know that things are particularly difficult for some patients in our hospital at the moment due to the visiting restrictions that have been in place since March.

“By establishing a process whereby relatives can bring in patients’ personal belongings, we believe we can make a real difference to the patient experience. With help from our brilliant volunteers, we have set up the Parcels to Patients service to do just that.

“We’re committed to providing safe and high quality care, and we hope that this service will make things more comfortable for our patients while they’re staying in our hospital.”

Relatives of patients will be asked to call the General Office on 07768838919 to make an appointment to drop off the patient’s belongings. Each parcel should be wrapped in wipeable material, such as plastic, and sealed with a label detailing the patient’s name, ward and date of birth. Relatives will be required to complete a document and provide details about the contents of the parcel and sign to say they have left it in the care of trust staff/volunteers.

Once the parcel has been received and documented, it will be cleaned before it is taken by a volunteer to the appropriate ward. On arrival at the ward the volunteer will press the buzzer and will advise staff they are there to deliver the patient’s property and request that a staff member comes to the door. There should not be any need for a volunteer to enter the ward.

The parcel must be signed for by a staff member from that ward.

The service will operate from Monday to Friday from 10am to 12pm and 1pm to 3.30pm, and appointments will be given on a half hourly basis.

The Parcels to Patients service will accept items such as:

• Mobile phones
• Clothing
• Toiletries
• Sweets / biscuits / dry foods
• Drinks in unopened containers
• Small amounts of cash – no more than £5

It will not accept items such as:

• Drinks in opened containers
• Alcohol
• Cigarettes / tobacco / lighters
• Drugs or medications (unless agreed with the ward which the volunteer will need to check)

If you would like any more information about the Parcels to Patients service, please contact Chloe Danks on 01922 656569.