Recording messages, sharing playlists and even sending the odd rude joke are just some of the ways relatives are staying in touch with loved ones at hospital.

Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford has introduced two new schemes to help keep patients and their family and friends in contact during Covid-19.

With hospital visits restricted and social distancing measures in place, people have been cut off from their usual support networks.

In response, Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust has devised two teams dedicated to compassionate care for patients and family support for relatives.

Messages can be sent by email which staff are then transcribing onto paper to hand to patients.

But the NHS workers are also encouraging people to get creative and send in letters and poems or even record a song to share.

The services will be available seven days a week and messages will be delivered by hospital staff to patients on the wards.

Deputy chief nurse Evonne Hunt said: "We are trying to create a bridge to facilitate some coping mechanism.

"Sometimes people don't know when they are going to be admitted and don't come with a big bag.

"We wanted to find a way to support our patients and ensure families can stay in touch with them."

The service has been up and running for a week and so far more than 60 emails have been sent for nurses to read or pass on, including voice messages.

She added: "We have an incredible willingness from staff to be involved in different things."

Ms Hunt said staff have enjoyed carrying out the service which some might consider to be an additional workload.

Nurses are also helping set up Facetime calls with loved ones through Ipads donated to the ward, and those with languages and sign skills are lending a hand.

Letters have been sent from as far as France and many of the patients have been quite emotional reading them, she says.

They also recognise some patients do not have immediate family and friends to write in and so have been asking people to send messages to them too.

In addition to supporting patients the Trust's team has also set up a family support service for relatives.

This receives referrals from the compassionate care team, once a family member has been identified as needing further support during their loved one’s hospital stay.

"We have even been sent in a few dirty or inappropriate jokes they seem to love"

Anne O’Callaghan, Macmillan psychosocial lead for cancer services, has been lending her expertise to the service.

She said: "It is important if we are going to support the patients we also support the relatives as well."

The social worker said they had been offering "practical, spiritual and emotional support" to family members.

Ms O’Callaghan said they were keen not to censor any messages being sent in from relatives to those receiving care.

"We have even been sent in a few dirty or inappropriate jokes they seem to love," she added.

The service has also been working with the hospital's bereavement team to offer emotional support to those who have lost loved ones.

A memory box is also given to the families of patients who have passed away – one of the hearts stays with the patient and is placed in their hand while the other goes into the box for the family to keep.

With basic tasks like collecting death certificates from the hospital now stopped the social worker said it was more important than ever to reach out and offer help in these difficult times.

Messages can be sent by email to dgn-tr.compassionatecareteam@nhs.net.

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