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"Virtual visiting"

About: Southern Health & Social Care Trust / Virtual Visiting Service

(as a relative),

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.

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Responses

Response from Mairead Casey, Patient Client Experience & 10,000 Voices Facilitator, Executive Directorate of Nursing Midwifery, AHP’s and Functional Support Services, Southern Health and Social Care Trust 3 years ago
We are preparing to make a change
Mairead Casey
Patient Client Experience & 10,000 Voices Facilitator, Executive Directorate of Nursing Midwifery, AHP’s and Functional Support Services,
Southern Health and Social Care Trust

Patient Client Experience & 10,000 Voices Facilitator for Southern Health and Social Services Trust.

Submitted on 28/07/2021 at 12:45
Published on Care Opinion at 13:44


picture of Mairead Casey

Good afternoon

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience of the new Virtual Visiting Service in Southern Health and Social Services Trust. We recognise how difficult it is for families at the minute due to Covid 19. This new service has been established to try to support families and patients during this time and your story just lets us see how the important the service is to you and your mum.

We are currently working on recruiting new staff for our service to meet the increased demand for the service due to the new restrictions on visiting due to Covid 19.

It is wonderful to read how the team accommodated your virtual visit that day. We are so lucky to have such a great team of staff working within our Virtual Visiting Team. I have personally shared your lovely comments with all the members of the Virtual Visiting Team, including Tara and Dominik. They are just delighted with this feedback.

Kind regards

Mairead Casey

Patient and Client Experience Facilitator

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Response from Mairead Casey, Patient Client Experience & 10,000 Voices Facilitator, Executive Directorate of Nursing Midwifery, AHP’s and Functional Support Services, Southern Health and Social Care Trust 3 years ago
We have made a change
Mairead Casey
Patient Client Experience & 10,000 Voices Facilitator, Executive Directorate of Nursing Midwifery, AHP’s and Functional Support Services,
Southern Health and Social Care Trust

Patient Client Experience & 10,000 Voices Facilitator for Southern Health and Social Services Trust.

Submitted on 05/08/2021 at 23:58
Published on Care Opinion on 06/08/2021 at 09:22


picture of Mairead Casey

Good afternoon

Further to my previous response, I just wanted to provide you with an update - we have now increased the number of Virtual Visiting Offices across both our acute hospital sites to help meet the demands on our service, to try and ensure as many of our families who need this service can avail of it during these difficult times.

Kind regards

Mairead Casey

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