“As a young carer, I just want to give back to the NHS that helped my mum”

After starting as a volunteer ‘responder’ - helping people find their way to appointments and transporting medications around the hospital - Henry moved on to being a ward helper, looking after patients’ non-medical needs. He also worked in the Acute Assessment Unit where he gave mealtime support and company to those waiting to be admitted to wards.

Henry is currently volunteering in Pathology, where he helps label and record specimens as well as using the centrifuge to spin samples. His contribution is so valued that he has just been invited to apply for a paid role as a member of the ‘bank’ staff.

It was Henry’s mum, Erica, who first found out about hospital volunteering. As a frequent patient at the Trust she was really grateful for the care she received, so she jumped at the chance to ‘give back’ and Henry was keen to join her.

Henry said, “My mum has had long term and complex health problems including COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) since she was born. I grew up with her constantly having hospital visits and medical procedures, so illness is something that has always been part of my life.

“Before moving to England mum worked as a nurse in Brazil. She is a single parent and I’m her only child. I loved it when she told me stories of her nursing days in Brazil – it is one of the things that made me want to go into medicine. She was always very conscious of not burdening me with her ill health – she wanted to protect me and let me have a childhood – but when I got older, she allowed me to take on more of a caring role.”

Henry’s experiences filled him with the ambition to be a doctor. He took science A levels at school and is now studying for a degree in Clinical Pharmacology at City St George’s, University of London. He plans to apply for medical school after completing his degree, and he is sure his volunteering experience will stand him in good stead.

He said: “It can be hard to acquire the experience to even get into medical school if you don’t have any contacts in the NHS. Volunteering in the hospital is a fantastic way of getting to know people and finding out about all the different disciplines and departments.

“I do see it as a two way process. I get a huge amount of satisfaction out of helping people and doing a good job, and I get experience that will help me with my career, while the NHS gets a really committed volunteer who can take on tasks that the regular staff may not have time for. It’s a win-win situation.”

Henry started out as a ‘volunteer responder’, helping with various non-medical tasks around the hospital. To begin with, his role often involved picking up medications from the pharmacies and transporting it to other departments.

After acquiring a good grasp of the hospital layout, Henry also took on the tasks of helping patients find their way to appointments, and wheeling patients to the discharge lounge when they were about to go home.

“I just generally looked after the patients in a way that the staff didn’t always have time for. Sometimes people just wanted a bit of company. One of my jobs was to make them a drink if they wanted one and that would open up opportunities to have a chat. It was really enjoyable and I think it taught me a lot.”

After six months as a responder Henry worked as a ward helper, carrying out routine tasks such as maintaining linen stocks or helping patients with anything they needed. He also spent time on the Acute Assessment Unit, where A&E patients are assessed before being admitted to a ward.

“It was extremely busy in the AAU, which is why I loved working there. I would look after the patients, making them drinks and staying with them if they had no friends or relatives present. I also did meal-time training and learned how to feed people. You get to know the patients and respond to their needs. I remember one patient of Jamaican descent found the hospital food too bland, so I went out to buy some spicy peppers for her. It makes you feel good to help people in these simple ways.

“I also remember feeding a man who was blind, and while I assisted him, he told me all about his life. He had been a sailor and had a really interesting history.”

After that Henry worked in pathology, where he still volunteers once a week. He has learned all about handling different kinds of specimens including blood, urine, stools, surgical samples and tissues. A lot of his work involves labelling samples and recording them on the system, before making sure they go on to the right destination, whether that’s the hospital lab or another hospital or department. He has also learnt to use a centrifuge to spin certain samples, and a vacuum tube to transfer specimens around the hospital.

Henry added: “My ambition is to be a doctor, giving other people the same quality of care and treatment that my mum has received over the years. Through volunteering I’ve learnt to be flexible, responsive and accurate while gaining essential experience in bedside manner. I’ve also improved on being proactive and confident to ask questions. I’d recommend volunteering to any young person. It’s a win-win situation."

Henry added: “Everyone talks about the NHS being in crisis, yet somehow it still functions and continues to serve people. It’s a lot better than people think, and it’s a great place to work. Everyone should think about volunteering. This is free knowledge, free learning, it’s understanding the system and being part of the system. You really do get an insider’s view. I’d recommend it to any young person.”

Inspired by tens and thousands of volunteers like Henry, who wish to volunteer for the NHS to give back, Helpforce has launched a three-year campaign 'Giving Back, Transforming Care' to inspire national conversations, foster deeper public engagement and shift perceptions of healthcare volunteering from a 'nice to have' to a strategic imperative. Learn more about this ambitious campaign here.