Brighton hospital helper aims to inspire NHS volunteering

As her young son grew, Anna noticed distinctive patterns in his behaviour. “He would opt to play alone, building things and lining objects up. He was high energy, flinging himself around with glee and would watch the same few seconds of something over and over with joy,” Anna recalls. These observations prompted her to reach out to Seaside View, a local specialist centre, suspecting her child might be neurodivergent.

The COVID-19 lockdown periods gave Anna unexpected time with her son. “Being a single parent, I had my evenings to learn more about autism online and recognised traits within my family and small friendship circle. I had lightbulb moments where I could see why people had the struggles they had,” says Anna.

While waiting for her son’s assessment, Anna immersed herself in studying autism. Following his eventual diagnosis, she attended a six-week “Exploring Autism” course, where specialist nurses shared information and parent-carers exchanged experiences. By the end of the course, Anna’s insights and contributions stood out and a specialist nurse invited her to join the team as a volunteer facilitator.

“This discussion was a turning point for me,” Anna explains. “Other parents, staff in educational settings, and the media had all made me question myself. Having a very experienced specialist nurse invite me to become part of the team was not merely a compliment; it was also validating.”

At 45, Anna began volunteering as a “Lived Experience Support Group Volunteer” at the Seaside View Development Centre in Brighton General Hospital in September 2024: “When we went through each section, I was able to give examples of how I found that situation as a parent or what my child found helpful. I could provide practical solutions within the home and offer support to those addressing more complex dynamics such as co-occurring presentations and separated parenting.”

As time progressed, Anna’s role expanded. What started with two nurses running the course was reduced to one, allowing the second nurse more time to conduct home visits. This enabled Anna to take on more responsibility while still working alongside an NHS professional. “This freed up their time to be out in the community more and brought a comfortable balance to the group as a whole,” she notes.

Anna now offers one-to-one sessions for parents with urgent situations and has become a befriender to families needing specific guidance. She’s passionate about the value of in-person support, and hopes that the service provided within

“Looking at our area, I’ve realised how lucky we are to have this course available,” Anna says. “I find it staggering that in other regions, parents are just sent off with just the diagnosis for their child. Which other medical diagnosis would a patient be sent on their way with no aftercare?”

Drawing on her experience as both a parent and volunteer, Anna advocates for early intervention. “The fight for support and information is debilitating for people, affecting their wellbeing and home life. The voluntary work I do demonstrates how parents just want to know how to support their children through school and within their communities.”

Anna dreams of expanding the programme nationwide. “My dream job would be to travel across the regions training the trainers to present this course. To help families sidestep the politics and get on with parenting. That’s all any of us ever want.”

For organisations considering volunteers, Anna offers a powerful perspective: “If a person cares – they will be the most passionate addition to your team. The voluntary role allows a person to show their dedication, loyalty, and expertise. Not an ability to relay something interpreted from a document, but actual lived experience with all the emotion and current climate to translate. These roles should be the gold standard gateway to recruitment in the NHS.”

Inspired by tens and thousands of volunteers like Anna, 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.