Letters, personal belonging drop-offs and a helpline: The additional ways NGH is helping patients during pandemic

A number of services have been launched at Northampton General Hospital to help patients and their loved ones during the coronavirus pandemic.

While visiting is generally prohibited, with only a few exceptions, the hospital is working hard to make sure patients can still hear from their loved ones.

From today (April 14), the hospital is welcoming letters from relatives that staff will then deliver to patients.

Northampton General also has in place a relatives’ helpline to minimise the number of phone calls made to the busy wards, as well as a property service so that relatives can drop-off essential items for patients.

Below are the details of the services, as released by the hospital.

Send a letter

Relatives are invited to email a letter and photos to a loved one who is a patient in the hospital.

The service will run from Monday to Friday (starting today - April 14) and any letters emailed by 3pm will be given to patients on the same day.

Those emailed after 3pm will be delivered the next day and the hospital is asking that on Fridays letters are sent by 12pm to ensure they can be delivered in time for the weekend.

Letter should be emailed to [email protected] and should include the patient’s full name and the ward they are on.

Relatives' Helpline

The helpline has been set up to support people who have loved ones in hospital that they cannot visit and to reduce the number of calls busy wards are receiving.

Relatives can call the helpline to check how their loved one’s recovery, treatment or care is going.

Staff taking the calls will only release information to the appropriate person and there will be a list of security questions to complete.

Callers will be asked to provide us with clear, specific information requests, which, if necessary, will be confirmed with the ward.

The helpline, which can be reached on 01604 545784, will be manned from 9am-5pm Monday to Friday and from 10am-4pm on weekends and Bank Holiday.

Patient property service

The property service allows relatives to drop-off essentials for patients, without entering the hospital.

Relatives are asked to pack essentials such as toiletries, clothing, a mobile phone and charger in a closed or sealed plastic bag, labelled with the patient’s name and ward.

The hospital has asked that valuables are not packed as staff cannot complete a property checklist and the hospital will not take responsibility for the items.

Bags need to be taken to the external door of ‘Integrated Surgery’ in area B, where relatives can make themselves known through the glass window or door to the staff member on reception by holding up the bag.

Once the member of staff has shown acknowledgement, the bag should then be left on the ground and the relative should walk away. The member of staff will then collect the bag.

The service is available from 10am-12pm Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays) and the bag will be delivered to the patient after 12pm.

It is essential that no relative using this service enters the hospital.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper when you do your weekly shop.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you