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.
These are able to charge six devices at any time in safe and secure lockers.
The first patient to use the bank in the entrance to the Urgent Treatment Centre at Lincoln County Hospital was Shirley Churchill.
Shirley said: “I think this is a marvellous idea. It is absolutely fantastic. It will get a lot of use and make such a difference. It means that people can always stay charged and connected so that they can let everyone know what is going on.
“My phone battery was getting a bit low and so it was such a relief for me to be able to plug it in the locker, lock the door and return to the waiting area. It really is wonderful and takes away that added stress that you really do not need when you are here in an emergency.”
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.”
Lincoln Emergency Department Sister, Karen Kefallinos, added: “This is a really good idea as phone charging is something patients and their relatives often ask the staff about. We all have a phone these days and when you are coming here in an emergency you don’t have time to check how much charge you have. Unfortunately, some of our patients do experience long waits and it is so important that they are able to keep their loved ones informed.
“It also means relatives at home can speak directly to their loved one, rather than having to call the department for updates. It puts everyone’s minds at rest and enables the staff to continue providing care.
“We are so grateful to the charity for funding these banks.”
The banks have cost a total of £71,000, including maintenance and service charges for future years.
They are really easy for people to use. You simply find one of the empty lockers, plug in your phone and then shut the door, lock it and take the key with you.
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.”
More information about the amazing work of the charity and how you can support it is available on their website: United Lincolnshire Hospitals (ulhcharity.org.uk)