A new Family Liaison Team has been launched to link patients and their families after visiting was suspended at Grantham, Lincoln and Boston hospitals in response to coronavirus.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which operates the three hospitals, in addition to one at Louth, says being in hospital at any time can be unsettling for patients.

Recognising the added anxiety of being isolated, the aim of the Family Liaison Team, which is run by the Chaplaincy Service and manned by volunteers, is to act as the link between patients and their loved ones.

With bases on the three hospital sites, services will include:

Taking and passing on non-urgent messages for patients and contacting them to confirm if there is a response

Supporting patients to enjoy a Skype or FaceTime video call if they do not already have the technology to do so

Receiving and delivering personal items patients may need (To minimise the risk of cross infection the team cannot pass on: clothing – other than those brought in for when someone is being discharged; food and drink as all nutrition and hydration needs will be catered for; flowers or plants; and anything made of fabric or materials that cannot be wiped clean).

Visitors are asked to ensure any items brought in to the Family Liaison Team are kept to an absolute minimum, as everything needs to be cleaned regularly. The team also asks that:

Any items brought in are small and can be kept safely in or on a bedside locker.

Valuable items should not be brought in as responsibility cannot be taken for items retained by patients at the bedside and there is limited ability to secure valuables.

Any messages or drawings on paper are placed in a plastic pocket which can be wiped over.

Items are placed in a plastic bag clearly labelled with the patients name, date of birth and the ward in which they are being cared.

Phones or tablets and chargers, books and framed photographs should only be brought in if absolutely essential.

For more information and to access the services offered by the Family Liaison Team, patients and their families should contact:

Lincoln: 01522 573080

Grantham: 01476 464616

Please leave a message on the answerphone if your call is not answered.