Celebrating National Volunteers Week

This National Volunteers’ Week, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating the extraordinary contribution of our 400 incredible volunteers. 

The Trust is proud to run a volunteering programme that has spanned 5 decades. In the past year alone, volunteers have contributed 33,000 hours of service to the Trust, helping patients and supporting staff.  

Volunteers work across a variety of roles including welcoming patients to the hospital and helping with directions. They also perform admin duties including check-ins with patients to confirm attendance at appointments. 

Joe Crook, Head of Volunteering, said: “Volunteers play a transformational role in our Trust. They give so much of their time and energy, willingly, and for free. They bring so many skills and experiences to their roles and are a joy to work with." 

The contributions that volunteers have made have had a lasting effect on our patients. 

A patient from Chelsea and Westminster Hospital A&E said, “I had the pleasure of meeting Olivia twice now in A&E. It was refreshing and reassuring to see a lively, kind, and familiar face. Olivia is like an angel offering a cup of tea or coffee just when you need it the most”. 

In 2022 the Butterfly Volunteers Programme was launched at West Middlesex to provide companionship, support and comfort to patients and their loved ones at the end of life. Patients and families say they get comfort from speaking to the Butterfly Volunteers, along with helpful advice on how to navigate through difficult times. In the past year, the Trust’s 16 Butterfly volunteers have supported 149 patients who were end of life. In total they made a staggering 605 visits to our inpatient wards. 

A patient said about a Butterfly Volunteer, “I'm speechless, I can't believe how happy you made me feel. I feel strong and human because of you.” 

Happy National Volunteers’ Week to all of the wonderful volunteers at the Trust.