ALL patients at the Royal Blackburn and Burnley General Hospitals can now access tablets and iPads to talk to relatives during the coronavirus lockdown.

The devices are now available on all wards instead of just for Covid-19 patients, those in end-of-life care and those with special circumstances.

The full roll-out follows donations to the East Lancashire Hospitals Trust from families, staff and organisations such as Lancashire Fire and Rescue.

It now has more than 100 tablets to support Zoom calls between patients and their relatives and friends.

Key support services such as its Spiritual Centre, critical care team and family liaison department each have several to connect families through ‘virtual visits’ since actual ones were suspended at the start of the pandemic.

Darwen East ward’s Cllr Roy Davies, who raised the shortage of tablets with the trust earlier this month after complaints from residents, said: “It’s good they now have enough for every ward. It is important to patients to be able to see and talk to relatives while in hospital.

“I think the trust was a bit slow on the uptake about this. I shouldn’t have had to contact bosses and prick their conscience.”

Trust chaplain the Rev. David Anderson said: “It is important to maintain the restrictions to keep everyone safe, but it is also important that we practise compassion and empathy. It can mean a lot to families to see their love ones, to witness their recovery or to say their final good-byes.

“It has been truly moving to see patients' faces light up when they have been able to see and hear their loved ones on the tablets even when they have been very poorly.”

Denise Gee, trust fundraising manager said: “We cannot thank everyone enough for their fantastic kind-hearted response. The current situation has been emotionally challenging for our doctors and nurses. As healthcare professionals, they find it incredibly hard to see patients without the company of visitors, particularly if they are very unwell.

“While the virtual visits cannot replace physical contact we hope they bring some level of comfort to both patients and their loved ones, and help to reduce the feeling of isolation.”