South West Hospitals Seek Volunteer Support

The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) is recruiting additional volunteers to support ambulance personnel at several of the South West’s most active hospitals. SWASFT aims to enlist at least 10 individuals for the HALO Helping Hands (HHH) position. This role entails assisting Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officers (HALOs) to facilitate patients’ seamless entry and transfer into emergency departments. Furthermore, the trust is seeking more volunteer community first responders (CFRs). Jude Patrick-Saunders, a resident of Newton Abbot, was the inaugural individual to assume the HHH position, stating that “the staff really appreciate you”. Since February, she has dedicated one or two days weekly to volunteering at Derriford Hospital, describing the experience as “an incredible thing to do”. She remarked: “You are a member of a really huge team, and without every single person that wheel just wouldn’t turn.” She added, “Just having another person that’s able to just go and offer them a cup of tea, and show them where to go when the doctors are ready for families is really important for them.” This role encompasses engaging with families, assisting them in navigating hospital layouts and procedures, ensuring their basic needs for food and drink are met, and informing them about subsequent steps. SWASFT indicated its reliance on a volunteer team of approximately 600 individuals, which includes all CFRs. These CFRs are based locally and frequently represent the initial responders at emergency incidents. Michael Dearden, aged 86, is the trust’s most senior CFR. He commenced his volunteer service at 70 years old, following assistance from fire service co-responders after experiencing a heart attack during a cricket match. Mr. Dearden stated: “Where I live, I am invariably the first person on the scene.” He continued, “From that we do a full set of observations, and we report those back to the desk and from there they can assess… in the extreme cases I can call in any resource I need.” Mr. Dearden also commented: “Age is not a restriction, as long as you are reasonably fit you can do a full course of CPR – you don’t need a medical background.” Jane Whichello, who serves as the head of volunteering and community services at the Trust, mentioned that they are seeking individuals possessing “good social skills”. She reported that their approximately 600 CFRs responded to 20,600 incidents as first responders from April 2023 to March 2024. She explained, “They do it because they get something out of it, and they want to give something back and they like the training.” Ms. Whichello described the ideal candidate as someone who is “enthusiastic, who is willing to muck in, who likes being with other people, and who is going to roll their sleeves up and help us move crews around, move patients around, and ensure that transitions into the hospital work well”.