"Virtual visiting"

My mother was admitted to hospital and we had arranged visiting through the ward. Unfortunately due to the hospital going into lockdown and no visiting allowed we were unable to see mum. I had to avail of the virtual visiting service.

I contacted the phone number and left a message and they contacted me back almost immediately and we scheduled a time that we could see mum. I found this a tremendous help as it gave us the chance to at least see mum in hospital and also allowed her to see us also.

Sadly one of my visits had to be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances and we arranged an alternative time and day. As it turned out we desperately needed the virtual visit that day. I had explained to Tara over the phone the circumstances and she advised that she would try but couldn't guarantee it would happen. As it turned out later that evening I received a phone call from a lovely young man called Dominic who informed me that he could do a short visit with us then and there.

This visit proved to be a real lifeline that day. The following morning I received a lovely call from Tara from the virtual team asking if I had any luck with my call. I couldn't thank the team enough for their help that day. Dominic was a star fitting that call into the schedule as he knew how important it was to us. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending this service to anyone who may need to see a loved one in these strange times. It really is a life line. Thank you again Tara and Dominic.

There is only one criticism if you could even use that word. It is a limited service and would require more staff and time slots so everyone who needs this service could avail of it, to some patients it is the only connection they have to loved ones and it needs to be maintained especially for those who don't have the ability to use technology.