Arriving at a busy hospital can be a daunting experience for our patients and their families.
Concern about a loved one or anxiety ahead of an appointment can become overwhelming in a strange new environment.
That’s why we have recruited more than 30 new volunteers to help our visitors feel welcome when they arrive in our outpatients departments.
Our friendly and compassionate Hospital Host volunteers are serving as the first point of contact for patients in the outpatient waiting areas across all five of our hospitals.
Whether they are providing information, assisting with directions or simply offering an ear to listen, our Hospital Hosts play an important role in helping visitors feel relaxed and reassured.
Mary Sloane, who currently volunteers in the Ear, Nose and Throat outpatients department at
Charing Cross Hospital, said: “There is an awful lot of people who are lost and don’t know if they are in the right place. But when they see a friendly face, they relax a little bit.”
Since the programme started in January, we have welcomed 33 new Hospital Hosts to our growing volunteer community.
They have already completed more than 100 shifts between them, contributing over 400 hours of service.
Sam Morris, Head of Volunteering at Imperial Health Charity, said the Hospital Hosts had already made a real difference within weeks of taking up their new roles.
“As the friendly faces who greet all our visitors, the Hospital Hosts are playing an important role in making everyone who comes through the hospital doors feel welcome”, he said.
“By pointing patients in the right direction and ensuring they make their appointments, they are also demonstrating how volunteers can help our hospitals to keep moving during busy periods”.
Since January a total of 60 new volunteers have joined the team in various roles across our hospitals.
To find out more about volunteering opportunities at the Trust’s hospitals, visit our volunteering page.
