SOTI has joined the Lifelines4LovedOnes initiative, founded by TMT First, to bring electronic tablets to NHS and care home patients cut off from friends and family during Covid-19.

NHS patients, cut off from their loved ones due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have been given a lifeline, thanks to refurbished tablets and mobile phones supplied by Lifelines4LovedOnes and its corporate partners. 

Mobile and IoT management solutions provider, SOTI, has announced its support of the initiative, which was founded by authorised Samsung repair and service partner, TMT First.

The project aims to refurbish tablets and smartphones and donate them to NHS hospitals and care homes, helping to connect patients with their friends and family through video calling.

SOTI has supplied licenses of its flagship SOTI MobiControl, Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) software, free of charge, to manage the devices remotely and ensure data security and privacy is maintained.

Devices have already been deployed since the start of April. Each donated device is cleaned, wiped of data and repaired if necessary, before being sent to where it’s needed most. Video call technology is pre-installed with the help of SOTI MobiControl, which also ensures GDPR compliance.

Stefan Spendrup, vice president of sales Northern and Western Europe at SOTI, commented, “When we heard about Lifelines4LovedOnes we knew we had to get involved. With social contact restricted, many patients in NHS hospitals are cut off from their loved ones in their hour of need.

“Technology is fantastic at bringing people together but deploying multiple devices in a care setting is not without its challenges and risks. We therefore made the decision to provide licenses to these devices to ensure they can be effectively managed, and data and privacy protected. We think it is instrumental in making the lives of those in hospital easier during these tough times.”

Adam Whitehouse CEO at TMT First added, “We have been touched by the stories of patients separated from their families by the virus and wanted to help overcome this challenge using mobile technology.

“It’s important that the business community plays its part in the fight against Covid-19 and we are pleased to be working with SOTI to do our bit. SOTI’s technology ensures these devices can be deployed safely, securely, and are easy to use for patients in need.”