Loved ones invited to ‘send a letter’ to patients across the Northern Care Alliance NHS group to keep in touch during Covid-19 crisis

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Families can email letters and photos to their loved ones

The Northern Care Alliance NHS Group (NCA) has launched a new way for families to keep in contact with their loved ones in hospital during the Covid-19 crisis.

The 'Send a Letter' scheme enables families and loved ones to email their relatives at a dedicated address, monitored by staff from the organisation’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).

Once received, staff will print out the letters or photos, laminate them, and deliver them to the ward where the patient is being cared for.

Tammy Pike, Group Assistant Director Patient/Service User Experience Quality Improvement for the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group, said: “We are very aware that during this time when patients are unable to receive visitors at their bedside, any form of communication from their loved ones can lift the spirits and help their overall wellbeing. By setting up the NCA Send a Letter scheme, we hope to help patients and families feel closer to one another, despite the physical distance that is being imposed at this time.”

Staff at the hospital will monitor two email inboxes, one for patients receiving care at the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust hospitals including The Royal Oldham, Fairfield and Rochdale Infirmary, and one for patients being treated at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust.

Alongside their letters, families are also asked to include the patient’s name, date of birth, hospital site where they are being treated and the ward or department, to help the team ensure their letters are delivered to the right place. 

Loved ones with relatives at The Royal Oldham, Fairfield or Rochdale Infirmary should contact: 

• sendaletter@pat.nhs.uk

Loved ones with relatives at Salford Royal should contact: 

• sendaletter@srft.nhs.uk