“I don’t think I can ever repay the NHS for what it’s done for me and my family, but I hope I’m contributing and making a difference in my own way.” - Karen's story
30th September 2025
Karen Adams’ journey to becoming a volunteer started in 2020 – on the day that then Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK’s first covid lockdown. It happened to be the day that Karen discovered she was pregnant with her first child. Together with husband Jamie, she was on cloud nine.
Like any expectant mum, Karen spent the next few weeks breaking the happy news to friends and family and browsing online for prams and cots. At her 20 week scan, she discovered she was having a girl and the dream of becoming a parent started to feel blissfully real.
Weeks later, however, she woke up feeling that something was wrong. She phoned the maternity team at Kingston Hospital and was told to head straight for the hospital. On arrival, Karen was scanned and medics found that her baby’s heart rate was dropping.
“It was a terrifying time,” recalled Karen, 48, who grew up in South Africa but moved to the UK in 2004. “Before I knew it, the doctors were rushing me to the operating theatre for an emergency c-section as the baby had to be delivered then and there.
“The next thing I can remember is waking up after the operation and immediately seeing a white board next to my bed with ‘time of birth, 8.03am’ written in pen”
“Our daughter had been placed in an incubator and it was two days before I was able to see her – they felt like the longest two days of my life,” explained Karen. “There was no clear explanation as to why her early arrival happened, but I was told that multiple teams were involved in saving our lives.”
Karen, Jamie and Isla in hospital
Karen and Jamie’s tiny daughter was transferred to St George’s Hospital in Tooting where she received specialist care. During this time, the couple settled on a name for her – Isla.
After spending two months at St George’s Hospital, Isla was transferred back to Kingston Hospital for a further month before doctors gave the green light for her to be taken home.
“Isla is now a thriving five-year-old. We are lucky that with the follow-up care she received, she has no significant long-term issues and we are enjoying family life,” said Karen.
Isla started school in September 2024, and Karen - a former senior manager in an insolvency team - decided to take a career break, suddenly finding that she had some time on her hands. She was browsing the Kingston Hospital website one day when she stumbled across an advert for a volunteering role.
Feeling an urge to give something back to the hospital that had saved her and Isla’s lives, she applied and soon found herself working one morning a week on cardiology and hematology wards as a ‘Visitor Volunteer’. Her role involves befriending patients, helping to put them at ease, and keeping an eye out for any difficulties they may be experiencing.
Karen and Isla
A part of Kingston Hospital’s adoption of Helpforce’s Back to Health framework, Karen’s induction as a volunteer and subsequent training was very thorough, giving her the confidence to support patients in their time of need.
“Days spent in hospital can be very long and often isolating,” explained Karen, “I know, because I’ve been the one receiving care. Having someone to talk to can really lift a patient’s mood and help them to feel more positive about their situation, which in turn can help them to recover quicker.
“While I’m talking to patients, I’m on the lookout for anything that’s not quite right so that I can alert the nurses if necessary. Ast other times, I might just spend time with a patient helping to brush their hair. Little things like that can make such a big difference.
“I gain so much from volunteering on a personal level. It’s really opened up my horizons – people have such fascinating stories to tell. And it’s given me a new appreciation of NHS staff. I thought they were heroes before, but now even more so.
“I don’t think I can ever repay the NHS for what it’s done for me and my family, but I hope I’m contributing and making a difference in my own way.”
Inspired by tens and thousands of volunteers like Karen, 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.