Hospital patients needing emergency care can now keep in touch with loved ones thanks to a charitable donation.
Mobile phone charge banks have been installed in the Emergency Departments at Lincoln, Boston and Grantham hospitals to enable patients and visitors to charge their mobile phones free of charge.
The United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity funds the extras not provided by NHS budgets. Hearing that patients and their families often need to charge their mobile phones in the Emergency Departments, the charity agreed to fund the banks.
The banks have cost a total of £71,000, including maintenance and service charges for future years.
These are able to charge six devices at any time in safe and secure lockers.
General manager for Urgent and Emergency Care, Blanche Lentz, has been involved in the planning from the start. She said: “We know that coming to hospital at any time must be a worry, but particularly in an emergency. Being able to keep loved ones and family informed is so important.
“This is a massive donation by our charity, but I know that it will make such a difference to so many people like Shirley every single day and for many years to come.
“They were used more than 300 times across our three hospitals in the first few days.”
Charity manager, Ben Petts, said: “It is a really simple idea that will enable patients and their relatives to charge their phones free of charge in a safe and secure way.
“It is brilliant to see the banks being used straight away. It demonstrates the need is there and that they are going to make a real difference for our emergency patients and their loved ones.”
