Care without co-presence: Crafting alternative modes of involvement in UK intensive care in times of COVID-19

In this article we analyze how family involvement in intensive care in the United Kingdom (UK) was reconfigured through the reordering of proximity and distance during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the effects thereof. The introduction of visiting restrictions disrupted established modes of involvement in intensive care, prompting family members, hospital staff and, when able, patients, to craft alternative modes of involvement. Drawing on narrative interviews with patients and family members, some of whom had clinical training themselves, we describe three ways in which they did so: establishing connections and communication, personalizing care at a distance, and making kin and virtual co-presence. We conclude that the ensuing subject positions afforded involvement of some kind, but also came at a cost. Our analysis furthers the conceptual understanding of care practices beyond their reliance on proximity and distance, and highlights that their choreography shapes new possibilities as well as vulnerabilities.