I started as Chair of the Board at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals in January and every day I am here I am privileged to meet inspirational people.
We are an acute hospital known for the quality of care provided by our doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants, allied healthcare professionals and therapists. There are also many others such as our receptionists, administrators, caterers, cleaners, the portering and estates team and more who all pull together with shared vision and values in order to show that ‘We Care’.
Working alongside this wide team, we also host a small army of volunteers, without whom we could not manage. Across our three hospitals sites, we have 300 people that kindly give their time freely in order to enhance our visitors’ hospital experience. They do this because they want to show their local Trust and the people we serve that they care too. And for that we are grateful.
Our volunteers carry out many roles to support our teams. This includes meeting and greeting, helping out on wards, lending a hand in our cafes and tea rooms and supporting our bereavement services.
Peter, one of our long-serving volunteers at Bassetlaw, gives his time as a way of saying ‘thanks’ for the care he received at the hospital when he was a child. Jean, Pam and Sandra, form the jolly trio at Montagu Hospital which ensures our visitors and staff are kept in steaming cups of tea and assorted treats. Each and every one of our volunteers deserves recognition and thanks.
But beyond the tasks they carry out, our volunteers are also a clear reminder that our hospitals remain at the centre of local communities. It’s the caring environment in which sons and daughters are brought into the world, the place which gives hope to those in the darkest of battles with illness and disease, as well as the gracious host of those final moments with much-missed friends and family.
In National Volunteers Week we rightly thank and recognise all those volunteers who work within our health service not just here at our Trust hospitals but also nationwide. I thank you all for the contribution you make and I ask readers to spare a thought for our hard working band of helpers.
There are many ways to lend your support to causes you believe in, whether through words, cash donations or actions – but none are quite as precious as donating your own time. Please join me in saying a huge ‘thank you’ to our volunteers; all of you truly make a difference.
If you want to volunteer at any of our hospitals, head to http://www.dbh.nhs.uk/about_us/volunteering/default.aspx
Suzy Brain England
Chair of the Board