A special thank-you event has been held at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its Volunteers’ Help Desk.
The desk at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary (RAEI) was the first ever Volunteers’ Help Desk to be opened in the country on 6th June 1995 and received award recognition from Buckingham Palace.
Every year, volunteers dedicate between 4,000 and 6,500 hours of support from the helpdesk, providing an invaluable service to patients, visitors, and staff. They also deal with nearly 336,000 queries each year, ranging from supporting patients and visitors by directing them to departments to showing them where they can buy refreshments and how to contact Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care.
One volunteer, Pam Manning has been volunteering on the desk since it opened.
Pam said: “The Helping Hand desk was opened on 6th June 1995 in the main entrance of Royal Albert Edward Infirmary by the Hospital League of Friends. We only had a small desk, a telephone, and enquiry notice, plus fresh flowers, which were renewed each week by a local florist. I started volunteering on the desk with my husband who sadly passed away after the first six months, but we loved volunteering together, so I decided to carry on. I love being there and helping people. Everyone is so friendly, and we have a lot of support around us. I would encourage any person to join us on the Help Desk.”
Kev Parker-Evans, WWL’s Chief Nursing Officer said: “I can only imagine the impact that the Volunteers on the Help Desk have made to patients, visitors and staff over the past 30 years. Our Volunteers are truly invaluable to the Trust and I would like to personally thank them for their continuous support and dedication.”
WWL is currently looking for Help Desk volunteers to deliver this vital service to our patients, visitors, and staff. Volunteering is an enriching and rewarding experience, helping others and giving something back to the community. If you would like to get involved, please contact Voluntary Services at volunteer@wwl.nhs.uk and on 07899 039 955.