Patients and visitors at Airedale Hospital can top up the charge on their mobile phone for free, after new charging lockers were installed following a grant from NHS Charities Together.
The two ChargeBoxFAST charging stations – each costing £12,000 – have been put in place at the main entrance and in the A&E department.
The units provide 30 minutes of free, fast charging for all mobile devices and can be used by patients, visitors, and staff at Airedale Hospital. You simply open an available locker, plug in your device to the appropriate charging cable, lock the door and leave your device to charge for half an hour.
Airedale Hospital and Community Charity worked with the Trust’s estates team, AGH Solutions, on the project.
Jodie Hearnshaw, charity manager, said: “We recognized the need to keep patients, visitors, and staff connected with loved ones. Unplanned visits to the ED are stressful, so being able to keep phones charged really helps to alleviate the anxiety caused by low batteries. Our aim was to improve experiences for patients and help people stay connected with family and friends in a time of need.
“It will make such a difference to people who are at the hospital for longer than planned, or who left home in a rush without a charged phone. In the first few days that the ChargeBox in the Emergency Department was up and running, it was used over 100 times which immediately showed us that it is making an impact on people coming to the ED.
“This initiative is also raising morale within our workforce as Airedale colleagues who need to charge their devices while they’re working can now do so safely and securely.”
To make the project possible, Airedale Hospital and Community Charity received grant funding from NHS Charities Together – the national independent charity that cares for the NHS and works with the network of 238 NHS charities.
Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive of NHS Charities Together, said: “We all know how stressful the hospital environment can be – losing access to your phone is the last thing you want to worry about. We hope these new facilities will help both those patients who need to keep in touch with loved ones during a time of crisis, and the hard-working staff who use breaks to escape from the pressures of the ward. Thanks to everyone who has made this support possible and helped to keep people at Airedale connected when they need it most.”
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