The virtual visiting service at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) offer relatives and friends, from around the world, the ability to communicate with their loved ones who are staying in hospital.
Family and friends of inpatients can email [email protected] to arrange a ten-minute video call and find out how to join the call, which will be hosted on secure video conferencing software.
There is also the option of contacting the virtual visiting service on
01279 962661 to receive help in organising your visit. This service is available between 9am and 12 noon all week.
As the NHS continues to manage the demands of COVID-19, visiting restrictions at PAHT remain in place.
One visitor is permitted for each patient, for a maximum of 45 minutes per day. This must be the same visitor for the duration of the patient’s stay and must be booked in advance.
The hospital encourages additional friends and family members to contact patients via phone and video calls during this time.
Along with virtual visiting, PAHT also provides the Message to a Loved One service which enables family members and friends of inpatients to send a personal message to them using the following email address: [email protected]
To support this service there is a dedicated phone line (
01279 962661) which is available between 9am and 12noon, seven days a week, and a staff member or volunteer will write the message down and get the message to your loved one.
A dedicated team will collate all phone and email messages during the morning the messages are received and then distribute them to the hospital wards during the afternoon.
Messages are printed and distributed to patients by the ward staff, which they can keep. This service is currently only available for patients to receive messages and there is no capacity for messages to be replied to at this time.
Lisa Thurley, the virtual visiting and messaged to a loved one coordinator, said: “We understand how much it means to people to stay in contact with their loved one whilst they are in hospital.
“It can be difficult time for family members, friends and our patients. However, a phone call or message can help to keep their spirits up and put a smile on their face.
“Our fantastic team are working hard to ensure that all of our patients can stay in touch with their relatives.
Please remember to provide your name, your contact details, the patient’s name, ward and bay that they are staying on when you get in touch with our teams.”