Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with technology companies on the donation of (a) mobile phones and (b) tablets to hospitals to enable patients dying from covid-19 without access to technological devices to communicate with their families.

On 27 March 2020, NHS England published a clinical guide for the management of palliative care in hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidance highlights the importance of supporting those close to a dying patient to keep in touch, including the ability to connect via phone or other virtual communication.

Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/C0081-Speciality-guide-Palliative-care-and-coronavirus.pdf

With regard to patients’ ability to access technology to communicate with their families, whilst in hospital, on 9 April, the Government launched an initiative whereby the National Health Service is working with tech firms to help care home residents and patients connect with loved ones. Fifty of the devices have already been deployed to pilot sites in Surrey with Manchester, Newcastle and London to follow.

Further information is available at the following link:

www.gov.uk/government/news/nhs-works-with-tech-firms-to-help-care-home-residents-and-patients-connect-with-loved-ones