This project is part of the Covid-19 mitigation effort ×
United Kingdom

Lifelines - ensuring coronavirus patients are not alone in hospital

By Guy's And St Thomas' Charity

Registered Charity

Lifelines - ensuring coronavirus patients are not alone in hospital

Executive Summary

Unfortunately, one of the harsh realities of coronavirus is that many people die alone because of the necessary infection control measures in the hospitals. This affects mainly elderly patients or in the case of our children's hospital, based in Guy's, it can also affect babies and children who are being treated for other illness. The Lifelines project is about connecting families with their loved ones (being treated for coronavirus or other illness) and isolated in Intensive Care Units across the UK.  This is done via donated tablets, secure online platforms and an app called aTouchAway, enabling no one to be alone but instead have family with them virtually during the end of life or when incredibly ill.  
Led by King’s College London and King’s Health Partners, including Guy's & St Thomas', the project was set up by Dr Joel Meyer, a critical care consultant, and Professor of Critical Care Nursing, Louise Rose.

Impact Indicators

People: Social Impact

Number of Lives Impacted:

10,000

Gender:

Female, Male

Age:

0-3, 4-11, 12-17, 18-25, 26-40, 41-60, 60+

Employment Status:

Student, Employed, Self-employed, Unemployed

Accessibility:

Disabled, Non-Disabled

Location:

Urban, Suburban, Rural, Remote


Planet: Environmental Impact

Land:

Rural

Water:

-

Air:

-


Topic and Activity Grid

Topics

 

Health & Medical

Mental health

Advocacy

Catalysing

Convening

Goods Provision

Infrastructure Provision

Services Provision

Research & Development

Raising Awareness

Training


Geography

Country:

United Kingdom


Project Outcome Indicators

Short Term:

— Health

Support families to be close to loved ones when dying or very ill

— Mental Health

Support medical staff in caring for coronavirus patients

Long Term:


Activities:

The LifeLine initiative will benefit families and hospitals across all of the UK, not just at Guy's & St Thomas' Hospital.  The project aims to provide at least two Samsung or Lenovo tablets to every intensive care unit (ICU) across the UK. Over one thousand tablets have been provided to 150 out of 200+ NHS Trust ICUs already.
With funding we will be able to continue to provide these virtual visiting tablets to every UK ICU, so each has a minimum of 2 tablets in the  months ahead. 
Data plans, device, software support, and App licences on the devices have been funded for 12 months by corporate supporters, to ensure this essential project supports all UK hospitals dealing with coronavirus for the foreseeable future.

This project has meant that King's College London and King's Health Partners, are able to deliver much-needed support to address the wider national need. It is hoped that the project will continue to raise support and grow to support all ICU units across the UK as well as extend into other patient care units.

Enabling ICU nurses and doctors to support patients and families to connect to one other has provided an additional benefit of boosting staff morale; one of the hardest things about providing care as a nurse or doctor to someone with coronavirus is they cannot provide as much physical comfort as is needed in times of severe sickness, and it is very difficult to watch patients in pain without wanting to calm and care for them fully.

Partnership


Supporting Documents

Download Supporting Documents


Updates

This project has not posted any updates yet.

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Project Budget:

£434,700

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£1,000

will provide Minimum devices needed per hospital

Timeline:

3 years

Direct Commitment Ratio:

99.31%

Project to Org. Size Ratio:

1.81%

Needs Intensity Meter

Global intensity meter
2 0 10
In-country intensity meter
3 0 10

How does this work?

SDGs

Goal 1: No Poverty

This goal focuses on the poor and vulnerable, and aims to: reduce the population living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions, build a policy environment that is supportive of the poor and vulnerable, ensure that the poor and vulnerable have equal rights to economic resources and basic services, land & property, and reduce their exposure to the risks of economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters.

Goal 2: Zero Hunger

This goal focuses on all areas of food access, nutrition, agricultural productivity, sustainable production and consumption systems, and fostering a resilient ecosystem to shocks and disasters by promoting the diversity of crops. In addition it promotes investment in rural infrastructure, makes a commitment to addressing trade issues, and to oversee a functioning food commodity market.

Goal 3: Good Health And Wellbeing

This goal covers all aspects of health and wellbeing from infant mortality to effective service provision to those suffering from substance addiction. There are special commitments to ensuring access to affordable healthcare, the development of disease treatment, cure and prevention, and to strengthen the capacity of all countries for early warning, risk reduction and management of global health risks.

Goal 4: Quality Education

This goal seeks parity in access to education. There is specific focus on areas of early years development, and throughout the educational landscape, from literacy and numeracy to technical and tertiary education. There is a specific mention of upgrading educational infrastructure to be fully inclusive in terms of gender, disability and culture, offering bursaries and scholarships to address imbalances, and also to ensure high quality training and supply of educators.

Goal 5: Gender Equality

This goal seeks to end all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. There is a specific focus on violence, trafficking and other types of exploitation, as well as a recognition of unpaid care work, provision of basic public services, and full reproductive and sexual rights. In the spirit of equality of access and opportunity, there is a workplace leadership and economic element, as well as the creation of an empowering policy environment for women and girls at all levels.

Goal 6: Clean Water And Sanitation

This goal champions universal and equitable access to water and sanitation for all people. There is an element around hygiene promotion, efficiency of use, championing the building and maintenance of appropriate infrastructure and technologies, and building strong international partnerships to ensure equality and sustainability of water and sanitation services worldwide.

Goal 7: Affordable And Clean Energy

This goal focuses on access to energy in a way that is modern, affordable, sustainable and reliable. There is also a commitment to promote and expand the share of energy production by renewable means, championing research and investment into energy efficiency and technologies, and ensuring that the infrastructure and technology has the capacity to support these aims, especially in developing countries.

Goal 8: Decent Work And Economic Growth

This goal covers all aspects of sustainable economic growth and providing full and productive, decent work for all people. The goal is progressive in its promotion of development-oriented policies around entrepreneurship and job creation, resource efficiency, and an end to forced labour and slavery. There’s also a special consideration to reducing the unbanked population, and promoting an integrated strategy around the future of work and the employment of young people.

Goal 9: Industry Innovation And Infrastructure

This goal supports the building of infrastructure and innovations to promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation. The focus is on equality of access to economic development within countries, regions and across borders. There is specific promotion of research and development of technologies both in country and cross-border, and in turn increase access to connectivity, information and communication through access to the internet.

Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities

This goal seeks to reduce inequality within and among countries, in terms of economic, social, and political inclusion. There is a commitment to achieve and sustain the income growth of the bottom 40 percent of the population at a rate higher than a national average, reduce and eliminate discriminatory laws and practices, monitor international financial markets, encourage development assistance and financial flows, from nation states to individuals in the form of remittances.

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities And Communities

This goal pertains to the urban environment in terms of safety, sustainability, respect for heritage, environmental considerations, and the connectivity between urban, peri-urban and rural settlements and areas. Specifically, ensuring that cities are safe, inclusive and of net benefit to its inhabitants, the wider population, and the planet as a whole.

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption And Production

This goal promotes the move towards sustainability of consumption and production on a national and global scale, and covers everything from transparency and clarity on consumer choice, to the sustainable management of waste from industrial production. This Goal specifically looks at influencing businesses (through recommendation and policy) to incorporate sustainability into their procurement, staffing, and reporting, such that sustainability is embedded in the consumption and production cycle.

Goal 13: Climate Action

This goal covers all aspects of addressing and combating climate change. From strengthening resilience of populations at risk of natural disasters and climate based hazards, to education at a human and institutional level on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.

Goal 14: Life Below Water

This goal encompasses all elements of the protection, restoration and sustainable use of our oceans, seas and marine resources. With an emphasis on reducing marine pollution, increasing the resilience of coastal and marine ecosystems, research on and minimisation of marine acidification, and sustainably managing water-reliant economies to ensure biodiversity while also ensuring fair work and income for those dependent on the oceans.

Goal 15: Life On Land

This goal encompasses all elements of the protection, restoration and sustainable use of our terrestrial ecosystems. This includes a commitment to protecting forests, creating a coherent plan against soil degradation, desertification, and the destruction of habitats of flora and fauna, all of which are critical to biodiversity and sustainable development. This is to be encouraged at a policy level, with a commitment to mobilise resources (financial and non-financial) to enable this conservation.

Goal 16: Peace, Justice And Strong Institutions

This goal focuses on the promotion, development, and maintenance of strong institutions to ensure peace, justice, and inclusion in society. This is detailed as promoting transparency, reducing crime in all forms including terrorism, violent and financial crimes, ensuring every individual is provided a legal identity and has equal and fair access to these institutions.

Goal 17: Partnerships For The Goals

This goal promotes working together, which will strengthen the means of implementation from a local to a global level to achieve sustainable development. Specifically the partnerships are divided into financial, technological, capacity-building, trade, policy and institutional coherence, including multiple stakeholders, and monitoring and accountability. By partnering on any or all of these bases will assist in the reliable achievement of the other 16 Goals.

Five Pillars Graph:

How does this work?

Your project is addressing the following pillars:

People

An end to poverty and hunger in all their forms and dimensions. A world where all human beings can fulfil their potential in dignity and equality, and in a healthy environment.

Planet

Protecting the planet from degradation, creating cycles of sustainable consumption and production, management of natural resources and taking action on climate change. This is all to ensure the planet can support the needs of present and future generations.

Prosperity

Fostering peaceful, just, and inclusive societies that are free from fear and violence. This is a necessary state for sustainable development.

Peace

Ensuring that all human beings can enjoy prosperous and fulfilling lives, and that technological, social and economic progress occurs in harmony with nature.

Partnership

To mobilise the means required to achieve the other four impact themes, through including the participation of all countries, stakeholders and people.

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