NHS hospital patients and staff in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire are set to benefit from a donation of 20 iPads from Barclays.

The tablets will enable Hywel Dda patients to keep in touch with family, while receiving visitors is still restricted.

They will also aid communication in outpatient appointments where family members are unable to attend to support, and help with the delivery of virtual groups within mental health and learning disabilities services.

The iPads will be also used to deliver virtual support within the health board’s self-management programmes to patients with long-term or chronic conditions including those who are recovering from Covid-19.

Barclays business development manager for South Wales, Ashley Lawson said they had donated 120 tablets in total across South Wales, 20 for each of the local health boards.

The donation for Hywel Dda was made to Hywel Dda Health Charities

Mr Lawson said: “We already had some contacts within the hospitals and it just seemed a simple and practical way to help patients and staff.

“Every individual and every business has been impacted by this pandemic and we have introduced a number of measures to support both personal and business customers during these difficult times.”

Nicola Llewelyn, head of Hywel Dda Health Charities, said: “These tablets will make a big difference to patients who aren’t able to receive visitors at this current time and to help with virtual meetings and outpatient appointments.

“They will also be a boost to enable us to give virtual support to patients with long-term or chronic conditions including those who are recovering from Covid-19.

“They will be used in our hospitals across our three counties. Our thanks go to Barclays.”