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certainty, before commissioners would want to plan and invest in future
service developments. A number of the studies in 2020/21 were positive about
telephone befriending, but this was at a time when no other options were
available due to social distancing. Some service users had indicated they
would prefer face-to-face contacts, but agreed that a telephone support
service was a better substitute than no contact at all. For others the separation
from direct human contact was liberating and this allowed them to be more
candid with the knowledge that they had both anonymity, and visual privacy.
Name of Reviewer Fred Davidson
Organisation Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Contact Details fred.davidson@belfasttrust.hscni.net