This week is National Volunteers Week. To mark the occasion, we are celebrating the contribution and dedication of our volunteers who work behind the scenes to support staff and help patients.
The Trust is highlighting Volunteers’ Week as ‘a time to say thanks’.
Volunteers carry out a variety of duties that have evolved throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, from driving patients to hospital and collecting prescriptions to offering emotional support and a friendly face to both patients and staff.
Taking on a number of different roles, the volunteers are highly valued throughout the Trust.
To celebrate Volunteers’ Week, The Trust has produced a video featuring volunteers talking about why they chose to volunteer and what they get out of it, as well as staff saying their thanks and highlighting all the good that they do.
National volunteers week: A time to say thanks
National volunteers week: A time to say thanks
Title card: National volunteers’ week: A time to say thanks
Jonathan Erskine, non-executive director: We’ve got volunteer drivers, we’ve got people who help with wayfinding. We’ve had, during the pandemic, volunteers acting as Covid marshals.
They bring enthusiasm, friendliness, actually they bring joy into the Trust. And in a sense, they’re not just ambassadors for the Trust, but they’re also ambassadors for their community.
They bring a lot of intelligence about what matters to people
Anne McCabe, volunteer: You’re giving something and I’m getting something back. I go home happy every day knowing that I’ve pleased somebody, chatted to somebody who needed a lending ear.
I just love it.
Kim Duffy, ward matron on ward 26: We couldn’t do our day-to-day job without the volunteers. They come and do the smallest things that mean the most to each patient.
Our volunteer is Anne. She is absolutely brilliant. She mothers me, she mothers the patients, the staff and she absolutely loves being here and you can see that every day when she comes here.
Anne: I don’t think it matters about age, as long as you’re fit and you’re dedicated. Because it’s the best thing I’ve ever done, it really is.
Nicholas Day, volunteer: I’ve been widowed for four years and I live alone. I’m used to that but with a lockdown, it’s almost been a salvation for me being able to come here and do things around the ward and have lots of people who I like.
And it’s been good for me and every now and again when somebody goes to the trouble to say that you’ve been kind and helpful to them, that really does give you a warm glow, a real sense of satisfaction that you’ve helped and how.
People are purely volunteering here for the benefit of patients and that’s something that I’ve come to appreciate and like very much.
Donna Bowley, deputy ward matron on ward 36: We get a lot of volunteers that come to us and say this little old lady’s a bit worried about this or she wants this from home and it’s just helping us to communicate with the patients and spend that little bit of time that sometimes you don’t have to spend with your patient – they’re doing it so that the quality of care is improved
Lauren Watson, volunteer: I help deliver meals for patients and if they need assistance or support, I’ll help them along. And I chat to patients and keep them company and play games with them to keep them occupied.
I get satisfaction from helping patients because I know it makes their day and I get to know all the staff and they make me feel welcome, make me like part of the family.
Jonathan Erskine, non-executive director: A lot of our volunteers have had a lot of previous life experience and work experience so I think it says a lot that they find value in coming to spend time with us and I hope that they spread that word and soon people realise that it’s not just doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants, important though they are, there’s possibly another 200 roles in the NHS available for people to take on.
Title card: National volunteers’ week: A time to say thanks
Volunteers add value to our Trust
Paul Wharton, volunteer coordinator, said: “For me this video has everything there is to say about the value of volunteering within the NHS.
“Our volunteers give something but get a lot more in return. They get the satisfaction that they have helped someone and made their day a little better. The value of this has no measure, it’s the warm glow mentioned during the video.
“Volunteers really do add value to both the patients’ journey and those who support them during their time with us. They are a vital cog in many ways and we cannot thank them enough.”
Volunteer with us
To find out more about volunteering, visit our volunteer page.
