Relatives and friends can post updates (From The Northern Echo)

Relatives and friends can post updates

8:57am Saturday 5th December 2009

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AN idea dreamt up over a few pints in a North-East pub is transforming how relatives keep in touch with their loved ones in hospital.

It is helping thousands of North-East family members receive updates on sick relatives and is about to go nationwide.

Yesterday, the justvisiting.com website, set up by pub landlord Paul Smith and one of his regulars, Jeff Cummings, was officially endorsed by the North-East Strategic Health Authority.

Relatives and friends can post updates on how a patient is doing on the site, allowing other people to read them.

After a successful trial run at Gateshead’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital – which saw more than 15,000 people using the website – officials at NHS North-East have backed the venture.

It is now hoped that every major hospital in the region will encourage relatives and friends to use the website.

Managers at the Queen Elizabeth said the website had reduced the amount of time spent by nursing staff following up phone calls from relatives, allowing them to get on with clinical duties.

It had also reduced calls to the hospital switchboard.

Mr Smith, who runs the Three Tuns, in Gateshead, and who was at yesterday’s regional launch at the University Hospital of North Durham, in Durham City, said it was “unbelievable” how the idea had taken off, with people as far away as China and Australia using the site.

It started two years ago when Mr Cummings told him that, after visiting his sick father in the Queen Elizabeth, he was fed up having to ring around relatives and friends with the latest news.

“I said why don’t you put an update on the pub website, that would be much easier,”

said Mr Smith.

“So many people ended up using the website to leave goodwill messages that it visibly bucked up Jeff’s dad and gave him a new lease of life.”

Inspired by this, the two friends approached the hospital and suggested that a website would help them deal with inquiries from relatives and friends.

Encouraged by grants from Gateshead Council and the National Lottery, the pair set up a not-for-profit social enterprise firm.

Yesterday, they revealed they were in talks with the national company which provides bedside services to hospitals to try to make the service accessible to patients themselves as well.

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