Helpforce Champions 2023 Winner - Kemal Osman
2nd October 2023
Nominated for Volunteer of the Year 2023
Video entry
Kemal Osman has been a volunteer at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust since January 2023 and in his first month of volunteering, he won Volunteer of the Month for achieving over 50 hours of volunteering. Since then, as of 24th May 2023, Kemal has achieved an outstanding 316 voluntary hours.
Kemal is an inspirational man, and his story has touched our hearts, as well as made a huge impact on the patients on Ward D7, the ward he continues to dedicate so much of his time to, and the ward that he has a very personal connection to.
Kemal is a cancer survivor and received his treatment at New Cross Hospital on Ward D7. When asked why he volunteers, he responded ‘It is because of the very professional care I received’, and he wanted to show his appreciation and give back to the staff who helped save his life.
As a self-employed business owner, since volunteering, Kemal has told the trust that he feels as though he has missed his vocation in life, and he didn’t realise that he had such a caring nature. Kemal makes a true impact on Ward D7, using his own story and cancer journey, to support other patients going through the same experience. Kemal has a stoma bag fitted and shares his own experience of how he came to terms with something so life-changing and supports and inspires those who are going through this same life-changing transition during an already difficult time of their life.
Soon into his volunteering, Kemal approached the trust explaining that he aspires to move into paid employment and join their Bank staff on Ward D7, as he reiterated that he feels he missed out on a professional field he feels so connected to and now wants to become a healthcare professional in the very team he owes his life to. At this point, Kemal had already exceeded over 100 hours of volunteering, and therefore was eligible for Bank recommendation.
Kemal not only has a huge impact on the patients on Ward D7, but the staff too. He commits to 4 shifts a week, on average of 63 hours a month, this is equivalent to an additional part time Health Care Assistant on the ward, which make a huge difference.
Due to his dedication, commitment, the relationship he has built with staff and patients, and the skills learnt, Kemal has now successfully progressed on to Bank employment. However, Kemal still commits to volunteering on days where he does not work Bank shifts, telling the trust his volunteering role means a lot to him.
Kemal is a true representative of the how volunteering can create a new outlook in life, using personal experiences to enhance the patient experience, and to learn new skills and knowledge that will equip volunteers in order for them to progress on to paid employment. His story sets the standards for other wards and departments across the trust, with the possibility to scale up routes to progression for volunteers, by showcasing what dedication to volunteering can bring to volunteers and the departments itself with new, well experienced staff.
Kemal’s volunteering commitments do not stop on Ward D7. Kemal is now part of the trust's Patient Involvement Partners (PIPs). PIPs are a group of volunteers, who are either current or former patients of the trust. PIPs wish to support the trust to make improvements to the services they provide and aim to provide a link between the trust and patient and public engagement by contributing their own experiences and perspectives on trust services and care. Kemal will attend quarterly meetings with their Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement Officer, as well as other PIPs to talk about new initiatives and projects / services, where Kemal will play a vital role in the design and running of new services from inception to review.
Kemal has already taken part in the trust's 15 Step Challenge, a national initiative to create a structured lay perspective of a service through observations and making recommendations for improvements.
Kemal sets an example to other volunteers, and not only inspires their team, trust staff and patients, but inspires other volunteers by showcasing what can be achieved when utilising the opportunities available at RWT.