HOSPITAL staff and patients are saying a huge thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who help keep health services running smoothly this Volunteers’ Week.
As well as hosting a series of thank you lunches for the 309 volunteers who give up their time to provide vital support across the Alexandra, Kidderminster and Worcestershire Royal Hospitals, a series of ‘appreciation stations’ are being set up across the sites to celebrate their huge contribution.
The week is also an opportunity to encourage and invite more people to give their time to make a difference at their local hospital, with two new rewarding volunteering opportunities available at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.
At Worcestershire Royal Hospital, a new Peony Volunteer Service is being launched, focused on supporting people nearing the end of their life. The service is possible thanks to the support of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Charity.
Rachel Colthurst, Peony volunteer coordinator, said: “We’re really proud to be working in partnership with the Anne Robson Trust charity to set up and run a team of specialist volunteers to provide bedside companionship to patients in their final days and hours, and emotional support to the patients’ visitors.
“The work these volunteers do will be vital in supporting people facing the end of their life and those around them.”
Volunteers are also being recruited to a new Discharge Response Volunteer (DRV) service at the Alexandra Hospital, Redditch, following the success of the DRV service which launched at Worcestershire Royal Hospital earlier in the year.
Discharge Response Volunteers provide a vital link between ward staff and pharmacy teams, helping speed up the discharge process for patients who are ready to leave hospital and go home – for example, by helping to ensure medication gets to the patient in a timely manner – and play an essential part in helping to ease pressures and improve patient experience.
Janet Neate, volunteer manager at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We’re so thankful for the tremendous amount of support our brilliant volunteers provide. In the last year alone this has totalled more than 13,000 hours across many areas of the hospitals, including chaplaincy, patient representatives, wayfinders, therapy dog volunteers and breastfeeding friends.
“Our new Discharge Response Volunteer service at the Alexandra Hospital and Peony Volunteer Service at Worcestershire Royal promise to provide an incredibly rewarding opportunity, and we would love to hear from anyone interested in these roles.”
Call 01905 733159, visit: worcsacute.nhs.uk/volunteer or email: [email protected] for more information on the new roles available or to contact the volunteer team.
