Volunteers at a Nottinghamshire hospital who helped keep a line of communication between patient and family during the height of the coronavirus pandemic have said they felt like Mother Teresa. Jill Smallwood and Ann Woolley were two of many volunteers who formed a family liaison team at King's Mill Hospital when Covid forced hospitals across the country to ban visitors.
Their role entailed transporting items to patients from their loved ones, who brought all sorts to reception, ranging from clothes to McDonalds. But perhaps the most important - and 'heart-wrenching' - part was organising calls between both parties.
"We'd go up to the ward, find the patient, make sure they were happy and awake and we'd make the call," recalled Ms Woolley, a 66-year-old volunteer of five years. "Family members were so appreciative, the ones at home who couldn't come in, you felt like Mother Teresa because they were really extolling your virtues. I thought 'I'm only holding the phone'."
