How volunteers support Barts Health NHS Trust during COVID-19

Since 25 March, they have had a staggering 287 people apply to volunteer. Applications have not only consisted of local residents, but medical students living locally too.

Barts Health volunteers have been extremely active across all of their hospitals during the pandemic and have been supporting the Trust by:

• Helping their pharmacy team with collecting medication and acting as runners to patients who need them.
• Supporting bereavement by getting personal belongings to next of kin.
• Helping with filling up the stockroom for the Intensive Care Unit.
• Supporting Clinical Physics to move equipment to the Intensive Care Unit.
• Distributing donations to staff.
• Assisting staff with shopping and essential needs.
• Meeting and greeting at the front entrance and supporting the reception with security checks and ensuring visitors are washing their hands.
• Making sure the staff wellbeing rooms are fully stocked with food and drink.

Furthermore, there are also more roles in the process of being formed. An email address is being created so that relatives can send messages to patients which the volunteers will then print out and deliver.

With strict visiting guidelines now in place at our hospitals, this initiative will be welcomed by patients who aren’t too familiar with smartphone technology and will enable them to keep in contact with their loved ones.

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