During Experience of Care week we're introducing you to members of the Trust's Patient Experience team and the other services we can provide to improve your experience of our hospitals. Barry Pridmore is our Volunteer Services Manager.
The role of the Volunteer Services Manager (VSM) is to lead and manage all voluntary activity across the Trust, ensuring the service supports the provision of outstanding care to local communities, responsibility for the strategic direction of voluntary services and the effective engagement of a diverse team of volunteers, recruited to enhance the patient experience and contribute to improved clinical outcomes.
My role has line management responsibility for the Trust’s Volunteer Coordinators, who support the development of volunteers, together with front line support; ensuring that volunteers are recruited, trained and supported to deliver an outstanding service to patients, families, staff and carers.
Volunteers have an important role within the Trust, offering non-clinical support to patients to ensure their needs are being met; this enables staff to focus on the patient’s clinical needs and priorities. My aim is to provide a high quality volunteer experience for members of the community providing the opportunity to be involved in our work, meeting both the motivations of the volunteer and the needs of the Trust.
There are currently over 460 volunteers in the Trust, providing a dedicated support to most areas. I have responsibility to ensure that volunteers receive a full induction program and ongoing training to maintain their knowledge and skills but also to understand the boundaries that govern their roles. All volunteers complete the full recruitment process supported by the Volunteer Coordinators.
I actively engage with staff at all levels of the Trust to promote the benefits of volunteering and offer support in the development of new opportunities, as well as training, which is available to staff to raise awareness of volunteering. I communicate responsibilities to develop staff/volunteer working relationships.
I ensure that the Trust develops and keeps pace with the national agenda, thus my role requires active engagement with other organisations committed to achieving improved volunteering services. My role is to explore additional resources which provide funding to support the service, e.g. the support and development of a Young Persons Volunteer Program project, for which we have recently been successful in securing a grant over a two year period, to enhance the patient experience.
The role is very varied and interesting, with a wide remit of tasks. We have a great team of staff and a fabulous army of volunteers, working jointly to make a real difference to patients, families, staff and carers.
Find out more about volunteering at the Trust.
View a video about our volunteers on Facebook.
