Heartbeat: Caring for relatives during COVID-19 – by Paula Gardner

June 10, 2020

COVID-19 has changed the world as we know it in many ways, but one of the most significant ways that I see the impact, as a nurse, is the sheer challenge of relatives not being able to spend time with their loved ones who are in hospital. This goes against everything we nurses are used to and are comfortable with and has often left us stepping in more to provide that social contact and empathy that their relatives would normally bring.

Our patients remain at the forefront and at times, when we don’t see them, it can be easy to forget about the importance of regular communication with relatives. This is why we introduced our purple point telephone service two years ago – to allow visitors and patients to get on the spot help when they need it. It is certainly even more difficult to speak to relatives during the pandemic as they are not popping in as they used to. But it is precisely at this time that we need to consider more than ever how we talk to relatives about the care that the patient is receiving. We must all put ourselves in the shoes of those people whose anxiety must be heightened by the inability to visit and see how their friend or family member is getting on. I know, from speaking to relatives after their loved one has sadly passed away, just how traumatic the experience has been for them and how sad they are for not being able to spend as much time together as they wanted.

Our wards have tablets and phones to help people stay in touch. Yes, it might feel like it takes time to help people use these, but this time is essential in enabling patients to see their family and the absent family member to feel some closeness with their relative. This is

just as important as the hands on care we provide to every patient. Colleagues supporting patients in the community have the same struggles – whereas home visits still take place, some are replaced with a telephone call to check in and often the relative can feel excluded from this.

There are some great examples across the Trust of good, planned conversations with relatives. The critical care team have put together some excellent information for relatives that clearly sets out how they will communicate with them and gives them information on how to make contact virtually with patients. One of the key lessons we must learn throughout this pandemic is that careful, consistent communication with relatives is just as important as the care we give to our patients.