Saffery Champness donates iPads to PEH

A COLLECTION of donated iPads will be helping patients and staff at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital.

Saffrey Champness has donated iPads to the PEH so patients can keep in touch with their families and stay up to date with news from the Guernsey Press. Pictured left to right are Jordan Bougourd from Saffery Champness, Dr Michelle Le Cheminant consultant anaesthetist and John Eaton ICU manager. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 28077304)

Saffery Champness has donated eight new iPads, pre-installed with applications for communication and entertainment, including the Guernsey Press digital version.

The Guernsey Press donated digital edition subscriptions for the devices and Airtel-Vodafone Guernsey donated the 4G SIM cards.

As family and friends cannot currently visit patients at the PEH, electronic methods of communication have become an increasingly important way keeping in touch with loved ones.

So the iPads will be available for use by patients and staff on the Covid-19 Intensive Care Unit and Covid-19 wards.

The initiative was spearheaded by Saffery Champness director Mark Le Ray, whose fiancée Dr Michelle Le Cheminant is a consultant in anaesthesia at the Medical Specialist Group and will be working with patients on the Covid-19 ICU.

‘Staff at Saffery Champness wanted to show their support for the local community,’ Mr Le Ray said.

‘After some discussion with Michelle and her colleagues we identified the iPads as a way we could help both patients and frontline staff. We are just happy to be able to support our healthcare services as Guernsey comes together in this battle against Covid-19.’

PEH critical care manager John Eaton welcomed the donation.

‘The iPads will be incredibly useful both in the Covid-19 ICU and wards,’ he said.

‘In both settings we cannot, unfortunately, permit visitors and in ICU in particular this is very hard for families. The iPads will enable us to FaceTime/Skype next of kin and provide them with scheduled updates on their loved ones’ condition, which I know will be very welcome. For those patients on the Covid-19 wards, the entertainment apps will also be very helpful.’

The iPads will remain the property of the PEH for patient and staff use on the wards after the Covid-19 pandemic has passed.

Saffery Champness is also working with Karen Blanchford from the new #StayConnected programme with regards to further donations of iPads to local care homes.