"Being able to keep in contact with our 89 year old dad in the Royal Victoria Hospital via virtual visiting"

Our 89 year old dad - who is the heart of our family together with our mum - had a devastating and life changing fall.

He was airlifted to the Royal in a critical condition and because of Covid-19 restrictions we were unable to visit him on a daily basis.

We were desperately worried about him and so anxious to see him - the virtual calls organised by the fantastic Virtual Visiting Team were a lifeline for us because even if we couldn't hold our Dad, we could see him and tell him how much he meant to us and how much we loved him.

When a loved one has a sudden and shocking accident you don't want to leave their side, you want to me their every minute of the day to reassure them that everything will be okay and that you are there for them.

Because of Covid-19 that was not possible for us and it was devastating - but thanks to the virtual visits we felt we could still be there in a very small way for dad and he could see that we were there for him.

It was particularly important for Dad to see our mum - his wife of 52 years - even for them just to say hello and have a quick chat, it meant the world to both of them.

So we would like to say a huge thanks to all of the Virtual Visiting Team - I doubt they will ever realise just how important they were to our family and what they meant to us every day during one of the worst periods of our lives.

Their compassion and empathy and the willingness to always be available to us - and to go the extra mile every time was simply over-whelming and such a huge support.

The opportunity to see and hear our dad and for him to know that we were there and thinking of him was so important in helping us all come to terms with what has happened as a family and we will be eternally grateful to them all.

Thank you again