We are fortunate to have a dedicated community of more than 500 volunteers who make a huge contribution to the Trust.
Our volunteers regularly go above and beyond, giving up their valuable time to provide support in roles ranging from mealtime assistants to hospital guides, patient experience and helping out in our charity shop.
Our Happy To Chat volunteers offer time to chat for patients who may feel isolated or lonely in hospital by befriending them, talking and listening. They encourage patients to take part in social activities where appropriate and provide additional support to improve patients’ discharge experience.
The commitment and dedication of our volunteers is second to none and we are immensely grateful for all that they do. We welcome volunteers from the age of 16 upwards and believe that everyone has something to give.
Terry Perring is a patient experience volunteer and has been with the Trust since 2003, first working as a Health Care Support Worker and now volunteering.
Terry wanted to give back to the NHS that had looked after him so well, so decided to take up a volunteering role at our hospital.
Terry said: “I chose to volunteer with the NHS because I like the feeling of working with a large organisation with one singular goal: to make patients’ experience as stress and trouble free as possible – and of course to make them better.”
In his daily role Terry visits patients in their beds to ask them a series of survey questions, to give them the chance to discuss any issues and also to give personal feedback to further improve patient care.
Recognition for our volunteers
The contribution our volunteers make is hugely valued. Every year we hold a celebration during volunteers’ week to recognise and thank our volunteers for their support.
Volunteers are also recognised at our annual Pride of Portsmouth Awards, which celebrate our dedicated staff and volunteers.
Our Trust Chairman, Melloney Poole OBE, has introduced a Kindness of Your Heart award which is awarded monthly to an individual or volunteer team in recognition of the dedication and commitment they have shown in their role or roles.
The Pets As Therapy (PAT) Team at QA won Volunteer of the Year at the NHS Parliamentary Awards, which were held on the national health service’s 75th birthday at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre in Westminster.
The PAT team have been visiting patients and staff around the hospital for nearly a decade and were nominated by Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt and Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage for their dedication to patient and staff wellbeing.
Become a volunteer
Due to the overwhelming popularity of becoming a volunteer at the hospital, we are currently not accepting any new expressions of interest. We will review this position on 1 June 2024.
Thank you for your interest in becoming a volunteer at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust.