Staff Recognition Week: Letters from new friends ease the loneliness for Lings Bar patients

Throughout week commencing 21 – 25 September, we are holding a special staff Recognition Week to say thank you to our fabulous staff for everything they have done over the past few difficult months and continue to do during the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Recognition Week will showcase and celebrate the amazing work of our staff and how they have been innovative in adapting their practices to ensure that our patients and service users have continued to get the very best care and treatment possible throughout this time. The commitment of our staff to making a difference in these unprecedented times is truly inspiring.  You can read about our inspiring staff and how they have adapted during the pandemic below. 

Patients and staff at Lings Bar hospital had an amazing boost from well-wishers during the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, with letters, cards and pictures sent in by hundreds of local people as part of the Dear Friend project.

                                                

Lings Bar Ward team

Dear Friend was launched in conjunction with Age UK Notts after Castle Ward Manager Claire Smith discussed the issue of loneliness and isolation with her sister Maria, who works for the charity. The scheme, which was developed jointly, called for cards and letters to be sent to the hospital patients, who, because of social distancing or shielding restrictions, were unable to have visits from even their loved ones.

Sharing some happiness from home

Claire Smith said: “When I spoke to Maria about how difficult isolation was for our patients and how incredible it would be for them to know that someone on the outside was thinking of them, Dear Friend seemed like a win-win idea.

“Writing in to our patients for just the cost of a stamp was something many people could do, and for the many Age UK volunteers in the group that were shielding, it was good that they were able to do something really meaningful to support others.

“We shared the letters out between the three Lings Bar wards, including giving them to people on discharge who didn’t have anyone at home. When the project was mentioned in the Chief Executive’s daily update, it also attracted other teams from across the Trust to take part for their patients.”

Sparking new shared conversations

The Dear Friend project asked people to think about the impact lockdown was having on them, and to consider what that might feel like for people in hospital, away from their families and friends. They were encouraged to send in some happiness from their own home. 

“Reading the messages and sharing the pictures gave staff the opportunity to reminisce with patients and share a conversation that wasn’t about illness or anxiety in ways they may not have had the chance to do before,” said Claire. “In one case, a letter included details and photos of an upcoming holiday. This sparked a patient to share with staff that she had previously lived in Singapore, which they hadn’t known but could now chat to her about.”

The letters, cards and pictures were used to decorate the wards so that patients knew they hadn’t been forgotten. 

Making a real difference

Staff on the Lings Bar wards have been delighted with the response and have very much appreciated the positive boost that the messages have given to their patients. One said: “I’ve just read a card to a patient – there are no words to describe his face and the reaction it got. Makes such a difference.” Another added: “My patient was really anxious.  I read him a letter and, for five minutes, I know he was somewhere else.”

So far, around 700 letters have been received including from staff members at Capital One, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue and HSBC Bank Community Champions. Children at Heymann Primary School were also encouraged to write and send pictures as part of their home schooling. 

Sara-Jane Ashmore, Divisional General Manager of Community Health Services said:  “This has been a fabulous effort from everyone and really has made a positive difference to our patients.”

Medical student Jacob, a volunteer on Castle ward, said of the team’s work during the pandemic: ‘It’s amazing to see the staff become the patients’ relatives, because no one else could be.”