olunteers’ Week: Celebrating the people who give their time to support others

This Volunteers’ Week, North East London NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating the incredible contribution volunteers make across our services every single day.

From welcoming patients at reception desks to supporting people on wards, helping new mums at infant feeding groups, assisting teams and spending time with patients who may otherwise feel alone, volunteers play an important role in supporting both our service users and staff.

For one volunteer, joining the Trust was about giving something back after experiencing the benefits of support themselves.

“I started volunteering because I had completed the Expert Patient Programme, and it had improved the quality of my life significantly. I wanted to be able to deliver the course to other people with long-term conditions so that they could also benefit.”

Volunteering has gone on to have a lasting impact on their own life too.

“It has given me a purpose and confidence. I have learned a lot, met new people and have more to offer the community around me.”

When asked what they would say to someone considering volunteering, their answer was simple:

“Go for it! Bring the skills and knowledge you have and enjoy using them to serve others and be a better you.”

Volunteers also bring invaluable lived experience into our services, helping shape care and support for patients, carers and families.

Clair Moughton, Volunteers Manager said:

“I regularly attend Sunflowers Court and listen to the service users interact with the volunteers and see how happy they are seeing them come back onto the wards each week,”

“They sit together and speak about their week, read books, complete puzzles, talk about the weather or their families and simply share a cup of tea. The joy that this can bring is tenfold.”

“I have listened to service users ask for befriender volunteers to come onto the wards over weekends because some patients do not have visitors. Having someone to sit and chat with really brightens their weekend.”

As well as supporting patients and services, volunteering can also open doors to future careers within the NHS. Over the past year, the Volunteer Services team has supported many volunteers into substantive NHS roles.

As we mark Volunteers’ Week, we would like to thank every volunteer across the Trust for the time, compassion and lived experience they bring to our services and communities.

Interested in becoming a volunteer at NELFT? Visit the volunteering pages: https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/volunteering/.