A hospital trust in Teesside is urging anyone with unwanted electronic devices to attend their digital donation events in January to help tackle digital poverty across the region.
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has partnered with furbd, part of Middlesbrough charity the Hope Foundation to give their maternity patients better access to their digital maternity records.
With the support of the Hope Foundation’s furbd programme, every donated device will be carefully refurbished and then re-distributed by the digital inclusion teams at South Tees Hospitals to their maternity patients who are facing digital exclusion.
It will allow these individuals and their families to keep in touch with their midwives, call recommended advice lines, access their personal maternity records and download NHS advice and support leaflets through every stage of their pregnancy.
Tackling digital exclusion
Grace Murray, lead digital midwife for South Tees Hospitals started working in partnership with furbd back in April 2023. Registering to become a drop-off point and lead contact for digital donations following the launch of their maternity electronic patient record, BadgerNet.
She has already helped so many maternity patients across the South Tees area have better access to their digital maternity records but explains that there is still a significant number of families facing digital exclusion.
She said:
“Many of us will already be clearing out our cupboards ready to feel refreshed for the year ahead and so I am asking everyone to check to see if they have any unwanted devices that can be donated for this amazing cause.
“It is absolutely vital that our maternity patients have access to a mobile phone so they can access the support they need through every stage of their pregnancy, however unfortunately Middlesbrough is one of the most deprived areas in the UK, ultimately leading to digital poverty and exclusion.
“Therefore, by working together with furbd, we can help to give more maternity patients across our region better access to their records and help them to access whatever they need at a click of a button.”
David Thomas, business development manager for furbd explains what type of donations they are looking for at the events.
“We are looking for any old devices that you might have lying around, from an old smartphone to unused tablets or games consoles that can be redistributed to community groups and families for valuable social interaction.
“Even if the devices aren’t in a good condition, please don’t hesitate to bring them along because we often find that we can use parts from one device to refurbish another.
“Every device really can make a difference to someone’s life and help us to tackle the wider issue of digital poverty in our local area, so I really do urge everyone to come along to events if they can.”
Other ways to donate
If anyone would like to make a donation but is unable to make the events, please email lead digital midwife, Grace Murray on [email protected] to arrange a suitable drop off time.