National Volunteer Week will be celebrated between Sunday 19 and Saturday 25 June 2016. Volunteers play an important role in our hospital and community by contributing to the wellbeing of patients, their families and visitors.
They complement the care and service provided by the professional staff by assisting with various non-clinical tasks.
This year’s National Volunteer Week focuses on time and is a chance for volunteers to be recognised for making time for their communities. Here are some of the volunteers in Hutt Hospital.
· Our Meet and Greet volunteers provide a warm and friendly welcome to visitors. They might help with wayfinding, locating wheelchairs, delivering flowers or offering general assistance such as calling a taxi
· Meals on Wheels volunteers head out in all kinds of weather to make sure vital food supplies are delivered to people who depend on us
· Assisting in A&E waiting room (-some of our volunteers make cups of tea and help to comfort people in the Emergency Department
· Knitters and Crafters often donate goods such as knitted hats and blankets for our maternity wards. We are supported by several local knitting groups in the Hutt Valley.
· Hutt Hospital Women's Auxiliary celebrated its 60th anniversary a few years ago. Its many activities coordinating knitting for the special care baby unit and the inpatient library service.
· Our two-legged and four-legged friends at Canine Friends organise for doggy visitors to come and comfort patients in hospital.
There are other types of volunteers working with our hospital and community.
‘Medical Team Camp Purple’ is a group of health professionals from Hutt DHB and other DHBs who volunteer their own time to help children, not only from Hutt Valley but around New Zealand. The team runs five-day camps annually for children with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. This year’s camp was entirely free of charge, including airfares, for the 48 children aged nine to 16 years who attended.
The team also organised a two-day seminar for 25 parents to provide education, support and an opportunity to network with other caregivers.
Want to be a volunteer?
Volunteering is an opportunity to support your community hospital by sharing your skills and experience. It offers people the chance to grow, learn, make new friends, exchange ideas and feel valued.
If you have skills to offer or spare time to contribute we may appreciate your help. Contact the volunteer coordinator in the Quality Team qualityteam@huttvalleydhb.org.nz.
