The purpose of having volunteers in the Trust is to improve the quality of life of patients, and encourage the involvement of the local community in their healthcare provision.
The Trust is a multi-site complex, which can be very confusing to patients and visitors who do not know their way around. In order to help them we have volunteers at our main entrance to help direct, and if necessary escort people to the areas that they need to visit. This is particularly useful for people who have not been to the hospital before, and for those with disabilities. Welcoming volunteers may also be asked for additional information about the hospital, or for local information, such as details about transport, and local shops, so it can be both a challenging but extremely interesting service, which is greatly appreciated by patients, visitors and staff. Volunteers need to be friendly, out-going and really enjoy being around people.
Many patients in the hospitals, particularly those who are admitted through casualty, do not have visitors, especially in the first few hours of their admission. Ward volunteers enjoy spending time with patients, and always have time for a chat; write a letter, read from books or newspapers, help patients access other services from the department, or just offer moral support. They can also be very busy shopping for patients who may need essential items and really appreciate volunteers being able to get toiletries, drinks, stamps, magazines and other things which they miss being able to get for themselves. Ward volunteers also offer practical support to the staff by helping patients who need assistance at mealtimes, or carrying out patient surveys. Volunteers need to be friendly, helpful and flexible.
The patients library is available to all in-patients for them borrow books and spoken word tapes during their stay. The service is available via the ward volunteers as well as library volunteers, and the Librarian can be contacted any weekday for patient's requests. Library volunteers should be interested in books and enjoy reading.
Our hospital radio service plays out 24/7 offering a high quality mixture of music, spoken word and general entertainment programmes which are both live and pre-recorded. This is a serious radio station, so applications from people who have previous experience in broadcasting, editing, programming or engineering are welcomed, although we expect all our volunteers to complete a training course before they can join one of our teams.
Complementary therapies have been a feature of the voluntary services department for some 16 years, and the concept of having volunteers who are able to support patients in this very special way have grown and developed significantly during this time. All complementary therapies are provided as an additional dimension of care, and in no way replace or conflict with any medical or surgical treatment, care or advice which is given by the Trust. Instead, they provide help and support to patients through their journey of treatment in a variety of different ways, and are always dependent upon the patient's individual choice.
We are currently looking for massage therapists, reflexologists, and aromatherapists. All therapists need to have been fully qualified in their field for at least 18 months, be covered by their own professional insurance and registered with the CNHC.