A big thank you to the amazing 300 volunteers working in Hartlepool hospital trust and making a 'huge difference to patients'

Karen Oliver and Lindsay Rutherford-Hoe, right.

Over the last year, almost 300 volunteers at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Hospital Foundation Trust gave up their time regularly at both the University Hospital of North Tees and University Hospital of Hartlepool.

Their duties include driving patients to and from hospital, collecting prescriptions, welcoming and guiding patients to their appointments, offering emotional support and even just providing a friendly face and a chat if needed.

One such volunteer is Karen Oliver who has been a volunteer since September 2019 and works on the gastroenterology ward.

She helps the ward hosts at meal times, relays messages from patients to staff and has been trained to help feed patients if needed.

An agency primary school teacher, Karen spent 14 years teaching around the world including Thailand, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and Taiwan, before returning home to the Tees Valley.

Karen, 51, said: “The NHS has always been there at times of need for myself and my family over the years and I just wanted to give something back to my local hospital as a way of thanking them for their wonderful care.

“The volunteering experience for me has been so positive and rewarding, from the quality of the induction and training opportunities, to meeting people from a range of backgrounds with a common purpose of wanting to give something back.

“As an NHS Clinical Volunteer I have the privilege of being welcomed onto a ward and feel valued and appreciated, especially when staff discover I'm balancing this with working full time.

“I have never been in doubt of the tremendous work that goes on within the hospital but gaining hands-on experience has made me appreciate the dedication and hard work of the whole team to ensure patients receive the very best care.”

Karen has kept on volunteering throughout the pandemic. She said: “I was rather apprehensive at first at the prospect of putting myself at extra risk of catching and transmitting the virus. However, the volunteers have continued to receive excellent communication and support and this has made me feel more confident.

“There are never two days the same but one thing is for sure; we're in this together and working alongside like-minded people gives you the strength and positivity to deal with any challenge. That's why I love to wear the 'Happy to help' badge!”

Lindsay Rutherford-Hoe, Volunteer Support Officer, said: “People like Karen make a huge difference to our patients.

“They’re part of the fabric of the Trust, performing some really important tasks.

“Our volunteers even play a vital role in improving bed turnover by taking patients home who would otherwise be waiting in hospital for medication and then returning later on with their medicine.

“It’s a rewarding role and we can be very flexible with when they work.

“Of course, none of our volunteers are being asked to work on wards where patients with COVID-19 are being treated. But we have plenty of other tasks they can get stuck into.”

To volunteer with North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, visit: www.nth.nhs.uk/jobs/volunteer/ or email: [email protected]

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