Jennifer Horgan: The absence of physical touch in our health service is devastating

Whatever about contactless payments, elderly people, those in my life included, get physically contactless care delivered over the phone these days, and the sadder thing is, they’re grateful for it.

As a mother of three, I remember the intense focus that was placed on skin-to-skin contact after giving birth.

My second baby was whisked away the second she emerged. My third was taken to the ICU not too long after she was born too. They were both fine, I am unendingly grateful to report, but my body holds and remembers those physical separations, that intense absence of touch at such a crucial time.