THE Isle of Wight NHS Trust has launched a new service ­— to help families stay in touch with their loved ones in hospital.

The Message to Loved Ones service, run by the Trust’s patient experience team, aims to maintain the important connections for hospital patients who have been impacted by Covid-19 visitor restrictions.

Last month, the Trust placed restrictions on visitors to the St Mary’s site to help keep patients, staff and the wider community safe.

Alice Webster, nursing director at Isle of Wight NHS Trust, said: “We know how important it is for patients and their families to stay in touch.

“We hope this goes some way to ease the impact that Covid-19 is having on our patients and their friends and family.”

The Message to Loved Ones service will let people email in messages, letters and pictures to be shared with patients.

The messages and pictures will be printed out, laminated and delivered to each patient to help keep their spirits up during this difficult time.

The Trust’s patient experience team will be available to assist members of the public between 9am and 4.30pm daily, excluding weekends and bank holidays.

A voicemail service out of hours will help everyone get a message to their loved ones.

Members of the public can call 01983 534850, or email the team at iownt.message-to-loved-ones@nhs.net