Dedicated volunteers and co-ordinators team recognised for going above and beyond
Volunteers and the Voluntary Service Team across UHDB have been recognised for their resilience and going above and beyond throughout the Covid-19 pandemic after being awarded with a Team UHDB Making a Difference Award.
In March 2020 we paused many of our volunteering roles as the country went into lockdown. After months of being away from the Trust, volunteers who support UHDB have slowly began to return.
The nomination for our fantastic volunteers read: "Our Trust volunteers, volunteer in our hospitals week in week out by choice to support our patients, staff, and visitors. Their continued commitment and dedication ensure our Trust services are available to all our patients and visitors. They continuously put a smile on everyone's faces and offer us all a sense of normality within our hospitals after a very challenging time.
“We have had a small number of volunteers who continued to support the Trust throughout the entire pandemic in between lockdowns, for which we as a service are extremely grateful.”
Since April 2021, the Trust Voluntary Services Team have restored and brought back just over 200 trust volunteers across our five sites, and this will continue to grow over the coming months until the majority of our volunteers have returned.
Tarlochan, a Patient Buggy Driver who has volunteered for UHDB for over eight years was one of the volunteers who had to stand down his role as volunteer at the hospital throughout the pandemic. He returned a little earlier than others, returning to his role in November 2020.
He said: “I am so glad to be back at the hospital and helping people, I live for helping my community – I want to be present where I can provide support to people, I have missed my volunteering role so much throughout lockdown.
“My main target in life is to help those that need me. Being part of the Sikh Community means putting yourself out there to help others the best you can.
“The Volunteer Co-ordinators have been brilliant at welcoming us back and retraining us with regards to the changes at the hospital – it’s nice to be back with fellow volunteers and my team – we will all count on each other to look after one another.”
Our volunteers weren’t the only ones to receive an award, as a surprise at the awards presentation, our Volunteer Co-ordinators: Sam, Simon, Sharon and Marina, were also recognised for ensuring regular contacts and updates were given to the volunteers and answered endless queries and worries throughout.
Their nomination highlighted how they have dedicated so much time and effort restoring the volunteer services week by week ensuring a robust, safe return for all volunteers. The team have contacted over 500 volunteers to explain the restoration plan, undertaken over 200 vulnerable worker risk assessments and numerous training sessions to make sure all of the volunteers are fully aware and feel safe on their return.
Paul Brooks, Director of Patient Experience, Estates and Facilities and Cathy Winfield, Executive Chief Nurse, presented the awards to our Derby Teams and Duncan Bedford, Executive Managing Director, Burton, and Jackie Marriott, Assistant Head of Facilities Management, presented the awards to our Burton Teams.
Jackie Marriot, Assistant Head of Facilities Management, said “To date, over 200 volunteers have returned to our hospitals. They have been sorely missed and the return has bought back some normality for each volunteer and our hospitals. I cannot quite articulate how proud I am of such a small, dedicated team to achieve what they have done in a short time.”