Dale volunteers with Nottinghamshire Healthcare. He’s involved in a number of different service change projects as well as with the Patient Information Group.
How would you describe what you do in your volunteer role with Nottinghamshire Healthcare?
My volunteer role is an opportunity for me to be involved in various projects and groups. Plus the chance to use my lived experience to an advantage.
How has the pandemic affected your role?
The pandemic has, over the last year, made it difficult for me to do my volunteer role within Nottinghamshire Healthcare. I felt left behind as the health service and others were fighting the virus. The Royal Voluntary Service took over many voluntary roles within the community, but I was stood down from my original volunteer roles. My role has been, like others, changed for the changing times of the virus. Initially for the first few months of the pandemic, my volunteer co-ordinators were able to find roles for me. I attended training for prescription deliveries and acted as standby cover for emergency PPE deliveries and I was also involved in collecting COVID tests from NHS facilities and care homes and delivering for testing. I felt very involved at that time and that I was “doing my bit”. Later when I was stood down from my response role, I became involved in online projects.
How do you feel about returning to your face to face volunteering role?
I’m looking forward to returning to my face-to-face roles and I’m hoping to push forward in being involved in new projects.
How has it been doing your role virtually?
I have been doing one of my roles virtually and I’ve been involved in other virtual projects, which I feel grateful for, but I feel working virtually wouldn’t be my first preference.
What do you hope for the future with your voluntary role?
I’d like to return to how it was before, but with opportunities to move forward.
In your opinion, what’s the best thing about volunteering with Nottinghamshire Healthcare?
The best thing for me about volunteering with Nottinghamshire Healthcare is the feeling of being worthwhile and something that gets me out and about sharing time with other people.
During Volunteer’s Week, we’re sharing our volunteer’s stories about their roles and what they enjoy about volunteering. If you’d like to get involved or volunteer for Nottinghamshire Healthcare, take a look at our current volunteering opportunities.
Volunteering Blogs
Stress Awareness Monthby Laura InghamApril 28, 2021This article was written by Chantelle Cooke, Volunteer. It was also included in a recent Volunteer Update Newsletter. Stress Awareness Month is a month-long event run by the Stress Management Society that runs each April to bring awareness about the impact of stress and to help individuals to learn how … Read more
Returning Volunteers back to Trust sitesby Laura InghamApril 26, 2021Last year, we made the incredibly difficult decision to suspend the majority of our face to face volunteering roles across Nottinghamshire Healthcare. Some roles have made the transition to being done virtually, but many haven’t been able to. With the current easing of restrictions, we’re now able to resume physical … Read more
Rampton Volunteer Befriending Training Going Virtualby Laura InghamApril 15, 2021Lorna Breckell, Family & Volunteer Service Manager – Rampton Hospital Due to the national pandemic, the training for the volunteer befrienders at Rampton hospital had been put on hold since March 2020. Traditionally, all new volunteers would attend full 3 days induction. Our ongoing volunteers would attend a full day … Read more