Rubina Thiebaut

Last active a year ago

I am the manager of the Engage Volunteer Programme at Salisbury District Hospital which is run by the Department of Clinical Psychology. The Programme is designed to support the psychological needs of older adults in hospital who often find the transition from home to hospital difficult, which can lead to increased anxiety and depression. Engage uses specially trained psychology volunteers to help support the emotional wellbeing of patients during their stay in hospital; the volunteers do this by visiting patients at their bedside and engaging in conversation with them.  Patients are sometimes taken out, off the wards  in wheelchairs to the restaurant or the hospital gardens, providing a welcome change of scenery.