Season › 2020-21 › News Everton' Alder Hey visit with a difference Thursday, 10 December, 2020 5comments | Jump to most recent Everton FC and Alder Hey Children's Hospital made sure that young patients didn't miss out on their annual Christmas visit despite coronavirus restrictions — thanks to innovative robotic technology used by the hospital for the first time outside of a clinical capacity. Over two days this week, Blues players Seamus Coleman, Mason Holgate, Andre Gomes, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Michael Keane, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Tom Davies, Ben Godfrey, and Jordan Pickford used specialist robot telemedicine equipment and software to take part in virtual ward visits, hand out presents virtually and bring smiles to the young Alder Hey patients, many of whom will be spending Christmas in hospital. The players could see and hear the patients, and zoom in to pan around the room, while the patients and staff could chat and wave to their Blues heroes as the robot made its journey around the wards. The children also received Everton merchandise from the Club, and a selection of toys gifted by Official Club's Official Global Tyre Partner Davanti, in a thoughtful Christmas gesture from the international tyre manufacturer. Article continues below video content The Everton players' visit was the first time the robot technology has been used non-clinically at Alder Hey, with the hospital employing it during the pandemic to allow for accurate, remote clinical decision-making without a clinician having to be in the room. Funded by Alder Hey Children's Charity, it was also used before the pandemic to ensure that neonatal babies cared for by both Alder Hey and Liverpool Women's Hospitals were provided with the best possible care. Alongside the ward visits, Everton players also sent video messages for Alder Hey to share with patients during their Christmas light switch on virtual event. Alder Hey cares for more than 330,000 children each year and has forged strong links with the Club's official charity, Everton in the Community, which runs regular activities at the hospital. Reader Comments (5) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer Kevin Prytherch 1 Posted 10/12/2020 at 12:45:19 Good on you.For all the criticism it gets, we are brilliant for the local community. Pete Gunby 2 Posted 10/12/2020 at 18:54:42 I wish we were as good on the pitch as we are off it. Well done Everton. Ajay Gopal 3 Posted 11/12/2020 at 03:20:44 Brilliant! Very touching, and almost makes you forgive the poor results recently. A reminder that there are far more important things in life than football. Well done, Everton Football Club. Hope the kids get to celebrate a wonderful Christmas. NSNO Mike Gaynes 4 Posted 11/12/2020 at 03:40:24 Well done, men of Everton, and very best wishes to the children -- and please note that it's Chanukah this week as well!Also, there is absolutely no truth to the rumor that the kids nicknamed the robot "Morgan." Peter Gorman 5 Posted 11/12/2020 at 07:50:07 Damn Mike, ouch!Brings a smile to the face, well done to the players and club, as always. Add Your Comments In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site. » Log in now Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site. About these ads