The Mayor of Grantham has officially opened the new volunteer hub at Grantham and District Hospital.
The new hub located at the Outpatients entrance of the hospital will serve as a base for the volunteers but also as a central help point for patients and visitors.
Andy McDowall portering section lead along with support from hotel services and facilities turned an unused store cupboard into the new hub.
He said: “The volunteers hub will certainly make a difference to the patients journey. The portering team will be supporting the volunteers and working together to ensure patients get to their appointments, know where they are going and have a positive experience here at Grantham.
“Huge thank you to everyone who has deep cleaned, painted, put up shelves and the electrical work to get this former cupboard transformed. We’re very grateful for the donation of a kettle from the Red Cross and charitable funds for the telephone.”
Volunteer duties can include practical on ward and day ward support, befriending, administration, and meet and greet roles in outpatients, clinics and main reception areas.
Andy Lemerle is a corridor volunteer at the hospital and will be manning the hub three or four days a week. He said: “I love volunteering, I like meeting new people and talking to them. Our main role is to help patients and visitors to the hospital find where they need to be and we have also been trained in assisting wheelchair users too.
“We can also call ahead to a ward or department and let them know a patient has arrived so staff can be ready to greet them.”
The Mayor of Grantham met with some of the volunteers and staff involved in creating the hub at the official opening on Wednesday 25 January.
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust currently has 250 volunteers across the Trust but would like to have 1000 volunteers by 2021. There are vacancies across the four hospital sites. For more information please visit https://www.ulh.nhs.uk/jobs/working-for-us/volunteering/