Kingston Hospital Volunteering Strategy 2020 – 2023

Shared by Laura Shalev-Greene, Head of Volunteering at Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Volunteering at Kingston Hospital is all about enhancing the care that we provide. Every day volunteering provides us with amazing stories of kindness and commitment that change patients’ lives for the better.

In March 2020, Volunteering as we knew it was stepped down as a safety measure for volunteers, our staff and patients during the Coronavirus Pandemic. This has resulted in a radical re-think about how volunteering can function at the Trust. The sector for volunteering in health has changed dramatically, with new schemes such as the NHS Responders making it simple and convenient to volunteer meaningfully in communities. As the world has shifted to connecting online, so too must our volunteering offer.

Some things have not changed. At Kingston Hospital, Volunteering is about high impact. Volunteering is a fundamental part of the Trust’s improvement culture. As such, there is also huge scope for creativity and innovation with volunteering entering a virtual world where timeliness and convenience is everything.

With over 330 volunteers (and a further 300 in the recruitment pipeline at this time) the Trust is in a unique position to mobilise this force for good.

Beyond the numbers of volunteers, this Strategy will increase the impact that volunteering can have on patients, staff, volunteers and the Trust overall. The futuristic model for volunteering that has been necessitated by Covid-19 will increase the accessibility of volunteering to a wide range of people, ensuring that people who want to give their time can do so without discrimination. It will also introduce levels of engagement to ensure that within our volunteering offer, there genuinely is something for everyone who wants to give of their time, on and offline. It will also increase the satisfaction of our volunteers across a hospital culture that is welcoming and inclusive of them.

To read the strategy, please download the file below.