Mandy McKendry – Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

In her role as Matron for Urgent and Ambulatory Care, Mandy has worked hard to develop a volunteer team who positively impact patient care and staff wellbeing. The role which she proposed and now supports across five locations in Oxfordshire is in the Urgent Care environment with volunteers supporting staff, people attending the units for minor injuries, out of hours care, and first aid.

Mandy works with the staff to introduce the benefits of voluntary support and champions the way volunteers make a difference. Mandy personally meets each new volunteer applicant for the Urgent Care roles and introduces them to the teams, locations and environments they will be supporting. She identifies where the role needs to be tailored to suit the skills of the volunteer, or the needs of the unit, in a proactive and supportive manner, working especially hard with younger volunteers who may need a confidence boost. Mandy is passionate about arranging dementia awareness training for the volunteers, as she recognises that they offer excellent support. She also arranges regular sessions to meet the volunteers and discuss their experiences in the role, and helps identify ways of developing the role. Mandy shares the positive impact volunteers are having on both staff and patient experience within the units and has presented her findings nationally to encourage the development of the role in other Trusts. She is an inspiring leader.