Keeping in touch with loved ones in St Mary’s

With hospital visits strictly limited, due to the rise in the number of Covid-19 cases on the Island, St Mary’s has introduced two new services to keep families in touch while loved ones are in hospital.

While ward staff will keep in touch with each patient’s registered next of kin, so that they can pass on medical updates to friends and families, the Patient Experience and Family Liaison Teams can help to pass on any personal messages and items at this difficult time.

You can email messages and one or two photographs to iownt.message-to-loved-ones@nhs.net with the patient’s full name, date of birth and the ward they are on, if known. Your message and photographs will be printed out, laminated and delivered to the patient. The Patient Experience Team will also do their best to get any replies to you.

You can also call 534850 between 9am and 4.35pm Monday to Friday. Outside these hours, you can leave a message and somebody will return your call.

The Family Liaison Team will act as the hub for receiving and passing on essential items to patients, allowing people to drop them off without entering the hospital. A room on the first floor of the South Block of the hospital is being used to accept belongings to be left for a loved one. The room will be open between 9 am and 12.30pm, Monday to Friday, for items to be dropped off, which will then be taken to the ward. Please call 534850 in advance to arrange a time.

Please keep items to a minimum as everything needs to be cleaned regularly and they must be kept safely in a bedside locker, messages and drawings should be in a plastic pocket that can be wiped clean. Do not take in perishable items or valuables. Everything should be placed in a plastic bag marked clearly with the patient’s name, date of birth and the ward they are on, if known.