Spring Volunteering Newsletter 2024

Welcome

We’re always striving to improve our hospital volunteering programme at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. We want you to have the best possible experience as a volunteer. And that’s why we’re always grateful to receive your feedback.

Recently, the team and I have been looking through the results of our Annual Volunteer Survey. (A huge thank you to all those of you who took a moment to complete the survey last summer!) We were really pleased to see lots of positive feedback. Many of you told us how much you enjoy your volunteer role, and that you feel valued by the charity team and our NHS colleagues for the enormous contribution you make.

The survey has also helped us identify areas where we can do better - so that you can get the most out of your experience as a volunteer with us. For instance, some of you pointed out that booking onto shifts and signing in using our app could be easier. We’re going to be looking closely at some of these issues over the coming months - but in the meantime you can turn to page 5 to read about some of the helpful

changes we’re going to make straight away.

Elsewhere, I’m so pleased to see our library service growing again - thanks to the tireless efforts of our dedicated volunteers, of course! The library service is extremely popular with patients and I know the NHS staff we work with are always delighted when our volunteers arrive with books and magazines for their patients to read. A very warm welcome to those of you who have joined our Library Service team recently. You can read more on page 10.

Finally, it’s incredible to see so many of you receiving an award for your long service in this edition. It was a squeeze fitting you all onto pages 6 and 7! Thank you - each and every one of you - for your contribution.

Chris Neal Head of Volunteering

‘I felt like I had lost hope. Now I’m in work I can pay my rent and buy food for my family’

Unemployment and poverty are among the biggest factors that may impact an individual’s health. To help address this challenge, we’ve invited dozens of volunteers to take part in our new Employability Programme, which is designed to help people progress into work in the NHS. The 10-week programme provides additional support through hospital volunteering and help with CV writing, job applications and interview skills. Sherina was one of the first to take part in the programme. Here, she shares her personal story.

Before I started the programme, my family and I had just moved to the area and were starting from nothing. We had lived in temporary accommodation for a long time and abruptly moved to permanent housing.

The house was empty when we arrived - there was no furniture, a bare floor with no carpet, and no cooker, fridge or microwave.

I applied for Universal Credit and with my first payment I managed to buy a bed for my girls so they wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor. I also bought a small microwave to use for cooking. It was a very difficult time and there were days

when I didn’t know where the next meal would come from. I felt like I had lost hope, and I was worried about finding work and how to manage this with my kids.

When I came to St Mary’s Hospital to volunteer last year I didn’t think I

would come out with a job. I really appreciated the help from the charity team and the other volunteers I met were so helpful. They gave me the confidence I needed to apply.

Now I’m really proud to be working as a Healthcare Assistant on the Lillian Holland ward at St Mary’s.

Life is better now. Before, I didn’t

know where to start. Now I work, I can pay my rent and buy my family food. I really like my job, too.

It keeps me on the go and at the end of the day I feel like I’ve come to work and helped make someone happy. Taking part in the programme has put a smile on my face again.

Volunteer Q&A

Meet Michael

Name Michael Roskell

At which hospital do you volunteer?

St Mary’s Hospital

How long have you been volunteering with us?

I started in autumn 2021

What is your volunteer role?

I meet and greet volunteers at the main reception - my friends call me Rita the Greeter!

How do you think your role makes a difference at the hospital?

St Mary’s can be a bewildering maze for a first-time visitor. Steering people in the right direction and helping them get to their appointments improves the patient experience and assists with the timely running of the clinics.

What do you think you’ve learned while volunteering?

To both walk and talk more slowly than my usual rapid pace!

What would you say to someone who is considering volunteering at one of our hospitals?

The relief on someone’s face when you’re able to help them work out where to go and find their way. The grateful feedback is obvious and immediate.

Which book would you take with you to a desert island?

Boat Building Simplified by Herbert J Ashcroft would be the obvious choice - although I’m not very practical! Failing that, the complete works of Elizabeth Gaskell would keep me occupied for a while. She wrote at a time of extraordinary social change and would reconnect me with my northern roots.

Your survey feedback

Thank you to all those of you who completed our annual volunteer survey last July. Your feedback helps us see what we’re doing well and where we could do better. Here are just a few of the key takeaways ...

‘Booking shifts is easy’: 84% agreed We’re now moving to booking shifts by month, making it easier for you to plan your shifts ahead of time.

‘Signing in with the Assemble app is easy’: 71% agreed We’ve heard that the app has been glitching recently. Try resetting the app by deleting it on your smart phone and then re-downloading it.

‘I feel motivated during my shift’: 89% agreed We’re so glad that so many of you do, but we want to do even better by making sure all volunteers have a positive impression from their very first shift.

‘I feel valued by NHS staff’: 77% agreed The staff at our hospitals really value your commitment and always tell us how much more they achieve when you’re there to support them. Thank you!

Remember to rate your shift via the app to give us further feedback!

Length of Service award winners

Congratulations to all those volunteers listed below who have reached major milestones with us over the last few months. Thank you for your incredible efforts helping our hospitals!

Kourosh Farhangnia (3 years)

Petra Uman (5 years)

Zainab Dauda 3+

Abdul Nsubuga

Amirhossein Barzegar

Celia Mostyn

Dolores Ramirez

Dorothea Munasinghe

Fatima Olubunmi Ajia

Helen Steele

Humayra Zaman

Janet Forte

Jasmeet Kaur

Jilla Bond

Julia Ziegler

Lamya Mekkaoui

Leidy Marin

Louise Crowley

Louise Elessawi

Margaret Thomas

Maria Benet

Negin Almasi

Nurul Tasneem Binti

Mohamed Raslan

Shamima Talukdar

Susan Thompson

Uliana Kobyliukh

Yasmine Harhira

Zahra Bashir

Choy Wan Soo

Faim Faim

Gillian O’Connell

Gladis Santos

Nicholas Hulse

Aaliya Qaiser

Alexis Biron

Andrew Bland

Anisha Mendes

Apisan Sivaragu

Artin Mehmetaj

Bhaskar Reddy Abbu

Govinda

Bissan Jomaa

Brenda Mirando

Catherine O’Connor

Che-Kwan Chan

Cydne Nairne

Daniel Shacalis

David Lindsay

Dhriti Veerapalli

Dorota Wasielewska

Eden Mascarenhas

Elaine Cheung

Elmina Arman

Emily Zhao

Faiz Ali

Fatima Abdelhadi

Fatima Al Rahmani

Fatima Hossen Dhebesh

Ebeid

Frank Lennon

Geanina Anania

Glauce Espíndola

Grace Tokatly

Halima Khan

Hanna Wolday

Ikraan Mohamed

Iris Kwan

James Guy

Nickhima Edmonson

Maria Hulse

Maryam Ebrahimpour

Philip George Ward

Jasmine Al Saadi

Jaydip Makvana

Jieyu Ran

Judy Graham

Julia Dominguez

June Marshall

Kaneezah Begum

Khalid Aitidar

Kiran Sivakumar

Lilly Rauf

Mahamad Elmi

Mara Costea

Margo Roofthooft

Maryama Ali

Maryama Jama

Mohammed Aldossary

Nehaben Nai

Olufunke Shittu-Kehinde

Palakpreet Kaur

Sebastian Cheung

Simrah Sadiq

Sohaiba Ali

Sophie Allwright

Steve Thomas

Yasmine Harhira

Rayan Elawad

Rufina Maderas

Safa Omar

Sivani Suresh

Yara Alkurdi

Yasmin Mouauia

Zara Bilgrami

Zahra Bahmanyari

Ziad Shamakhi

NHS staff Q&A

Meet Meng Lin

Name

Meng Lin Yu

At which hospital do you work?

Charing Cross Hospital. On the 11 South ward, neurosurgery.

How long have you been working at Charing Cross?

I’ve been working in neurosurgery for about five months.

I worked in the renal service before and have spent over six years at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

What inspired you to work with volunteers?

Volunteers reduce the pressure on staff, and allow us to focus on the patients’ care. Some patients want to be engaged with and entertained, which can be difficult when staff have a heavy work load. Volunteers are a great resource for patients.

improve the hospital experience for our patients.

What’s your favourite thing about working with volunteers?

They are great individuals. They talk to patients, serve dinner and provide a good service which not only is a relief for staff, especially during busy times, but also helps maintain the high quality of service we provide. They’re absolutely gold star!

What impact have volunteers made in your team?

Volunteers free up staff time and

Would you like to be interviewed for the Volunteer Q&A feature in our newsletter? We’d love to hear from you! Speak to your hospital volunteering team to let them know you’d like to take part and we’ll get in touch with some quick-fire questions!

Hospital updates

Charing Cross Hospital

The Sanctuary Garden has reopened! The garden is a peaceful space for anyone experiencing the grief and sadness of losing a loved one as well as a quiet area for staff to switch off from the pressures of work.

Hammersmith Hospital

We’ve funded a brand new mobile phone charging unit, which has been installed in the restaurant. These devices allow patients and visitors to boost their battery, so they can stay in touch with their loved ones while they’re visiting the hospital.

Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital

We have a brand new Site Director - Ian Batemanwho’ll be covering both Hammersmith and Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea. If you see him in the corridors, do stop and say hello!

St Mary’s Hospital

There’s lots of building work going on at the moment. We’re look forward to seeing the new café, which is currently being renovated in the QEQM building. And remember the Volunteering Office remains open, despite the temporary scaffolding around the Cambridge Wing.

Western Eye Hospital

Look out for temporary signage outside the hospital to help patients access the building while we wait for the main entrance to be refurbished.

to our wards, giving the chance for patients to enjoy the escapism of a book while they’re recovering in hospital. We spoke to two volunteers at Charing Cross about their experience and their favourite books on the library trolley!

I give patients the opportunity to talk with someone other than the hospital staff. I recommend books for them and discuss their likes and dislikes. A book takes their mind off being in hospital, which means they have

something to discuss other than their illness. I haven’t got a favourite book at the moment, but I like to read crime thrillers. The book I’ve chosen from the trolley is a crime thriller by Cara Hunter. Her books are full of twists and turns and make for addictive reading.

Diana, Library Service Volunteer at Charing Cross

I get to meet many different people and help them, even if it’s in a small way. Books help keep patients busy and allow

Look out for our library trolley at Charing Cross, Hammersmith, Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea, and St Mary’s!

them to enjoy time reading while they receive treatment. Patients also love to chat with me about different books and authors, and we share recommendations. Currently, I would recommend New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. This is the second book in the Twilight series and is a gripping romance story mixed with vampires and the supernatural world. It touches on real-lifee issues, such as friendships and break-ups, and is a must-read for anyone who enjoys thrillers.

Volunteering updates

The spring daffodils are blooming and bringing with them some exciting new volunteering opportunities at our hospitals. Over the coming months, we’ll be opening up new roles supporting our children’s services at St Mary’s and the neuro rehab ward at Charing Cross, so keep an eye on our website and e-newsletters for more information.

Thank you for your patience during the recent refurbishments to the Cambridge Wing building at St Mary’s and the main entrance at the Western Eye. We’re also looking forward to seeing the newly renovated café in the St Mary’s QEQM building, which is due to open in June.

It’s also been wonderful to see so many Patient Activities Volunteers attending socials at Hammersmith Hospital over the last two months. The team loved catching up with you and receiving your valuable feedback!

Volunteering by numbers

1 January to 31 March 2024

464 volunteers

7,679 hours

4.7/5 average shift rating

Your noticeboard

It’s been a busy few months for our hospitalsand our volunteers.

Here are just a few highlights since the start of the year ...

Have you seen our gorgeous daffodils outside Charing Cross and Hammersmith? Special thanks to our corporate volunteers who helped plant them last year!

We recently invited over 150 young people to recruitment events who would like to volunteer at our hospitals this summer. It was amazing to hear their stories, and we can’t wait to welcome them in July and August!

Say hello to Daisy, one of our gorgeous therapy dogs at Charing Cross Hospital. This dashing dachshund has been helping staff unwind through group sessions. Thank you!

Thank you to our Patient Activities Volunteers, Rufina and Kanna, who kindly agreed to pose for our International Women’s Day photos!

And they’re off! Check out the fantastic volunteers who got up bright and early to cheer on our amazing runners at the London Landmarks Half Marathon. Thank you for your support!

A huge thank you to all of our fantastic Cheer Champion Volunteers who supported our amazing runners at the London Landmarks Half Marathon recently. They couldn’t have done it without you!