Caring nurse raises £30k to buy tablets to allow Coronavirus patients to contact families

Nurse Leona Harris has raised more than £30,000 to purchase tablets for patients on the Covid-19 Isolation ward at Fairfield General Hospital where she works

A nurse working on the frontline of the deadly Coronavirus crisis at Fairfield General Hospital has raised more than £30k in less than a week to pay for equipment for hospitals across the country that will allow critically ill patients to keep in touch with family and friends during the outbreak.

Leona Harris, a staff nurse on a Covid-19 isolation ward launched the campaign with the support of her husband Nick after she witnessed first-hand the devastation caused by the lockdown which restricts families from visiting patients to try and slow the spread of the virus.

The money, which has been partially raised by donations from the public and Nick’s colleagues - with many donating the money that they would have used to commute to and from work - will now be used to purchase tablets that will be urgently distributed to hospitals so that those affected by the illness can maintain contact with their loved ones.

Commenting on the campaign Leona said: When someone is admitted to hospital they are isolated from the moment they arrive on a ward, and that isolation extends to their family who have no further contact, or very limited contact, with their loved ones. It is so upsetting, people have passed away without any family being with them.

“Staff at the hospital are doing their best and some have lent their own phones and tablets to patients to help them keep in touch, but it’s not enough.”

The #staytogether campaign has the support of Leona’s husband Nick who coordinated the fundraising efforts of the law firm where he works and his colleagues to help raise in excess of £27.5k within a matter of days which has been donated directly to the cause; a further £2.6k has been raised by members of the public through a JustGiving page.

Nick, a lawyer at Simpson Millar which employs more than 200 staff in Manchester, added: “There isn’t a single person in Manchester or anywhere else who hasn’t been affected by Coronavirus, personally or professionally.

“When Leona described to me what she was witnessing first-hand it became a mission to raise money for tablets so her patients could keep in touch with their families.

“I’m so proud of what Leona and her nursing colleagues are achieving. It is incredible and they really are heroes.

“I am also proud of the immense efforts my colleagues, who are fantastic people, are putting in to rally and support the #staytogether cause.

“Already we’re looking forward to more equipment being delivered to those who most need it at both local hospitals, and hospitals further afield.”

To support Leona and donate to the #staytogether campaign please click here: 

• www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/staytogether