Volunteers' Week (1-7th June) is an annual celebration of the contribution millions of people make across the UK through volunteering in their communities. It's a chance to recognise the fantastic contribution volunteers make to our communities within North West London and say thank you.
Across North West London we need volunteers and there are more than 300 types of roles available for a range of experience levels and interests, whether you’re looking for flexible regular or a casual commitment.
Why do people volunteer for NHS?
Using existing skills and knowledge to help people
Milena is a befriender and virtual visiting volunteer and a winner of this year’s Coronation Champion Award. She uses her digital skills and personal qualities of compassion and empathy to support staff with a huge range of responsibilities.
Julian (pictured right) has been working with young people as a mentor and youth worker for nearly 20 years. He
said: “I wanted to put my skills and knowledge into good practice by supporting adults and patients with mental health needs”.
Lynn (pictured left) is a stroke survivor supporting stroke patients through their recovery.
Angela (pictured right), a patient companion for people with dementia, worked in the care in
dustry for over 30 years, explained: “On retiring, I wanted to support patients with a diagnosis of dementia.”
Gaining experience in healthcare
Alice, works as a ward befriender and is interested in studying medicine and is gaining experience in a healthcare setting
After moving to the UK, Marlen volunteers in the palliative care team as she wanted to explore opportunities for work in the NHS.
Knowing you’re making a difference to peoples’ lives
Steven is a Wayfinder and wanted to make a positive contribution to his community, helping people find where they need to go.
Youth buddy Moebina (pictured right) in the emergency department said: “I realised that true
happiness lies in what you can do for other people, and I find the role very rewarding.”
What do people gain from volunteering?
Julian really enjoyed working together with patients and social workers to design and deliver bespoke programmes for each patient.
Alice (pictured left) believes that she has grown greatly as a person and commented that “The role helped me gain a lot more confidence and especially communication skills”.
Volunteering in palliative care really put things into perspective for Marlen, being so close to people at the end of their life reminds her of the things that people worry about don’t matter as much.
Why should you volunteer?
Pushpa (pictured right) meets and greets volunteer who retired five years ago volunteer to give back to
the community.
Julian would definitely recommend volunteering as a social visitor. It is a particularly interesting role for people working or studying sociology or criminology and for anyone interested in the general mental health area.
Marlen (pictured left) shared that volunteering can be an effective way to understand UK culture, explore a new career path, and to feel a sense of belonging.
One of Milena’s colleagues said: volunteer efforts foster a supportive, nurturing atmosphere that unifies and emboldens others…and ignites a ripple effect of empathy and benevolence, effecting an extraordinary, enduring transformation within the community.
We want to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all our volunteers for their ongoing support. We hope their work will inspire others to explore opportunities supporting the NHS. If you are interested, you can explore the available roles at each of our North West London trusts:
- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
- London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust: visit the website or email lnwh-tr.voluntaryservices@nhs.net
- West London NHS Trust
- Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust: contact Eileen Lynch
- Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
- Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust