MENTAL health patients and their visitors at Fairfield General Hospital can now surf the web for free.

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust has introduced free Wi-Fi connection at 25 wards in its hospitals, including Hope and Horizon units, North Ward and South Ward based at Fairfield in Rochdale Old Road, in Bury.

Following guidance from the Care Quality Commission, the roll out is the first phase of a project to bring free internet to patients and visitors across the whole of Pennine Care.

This aims to improve the overall patient experience, by ensuring they have regular contact with family and friends.

It will also support patients’ recovery by allowing easy access to education, employment, housing and social activities.

To ensure safety, the Wi-Fi connection is designed to include protection against inappropriate content; with monitoring software, password-required access and the option for nominated admins to revoke access at any time.

Jessica Lever is project support facilitator with Pennine Care’s Department of Information, Communication and Technology.

She said: “The guest Wi-Fi is another step towards demonstrating our commitment to improving patient experience and patient care.

“Patients staying on the wards can benefit from improved contact with their loved ones and also the chance to learn new skills and knowledge to help them achieve their full potential.”