Volunteers’ Week (Monday 1 June to Sunday 7 June) is an annual celebration of the contribution millions of people make across the UK through volunteering in their communities.
Each year, 135 volunteers in our hospital give around 20,000 hours of their time to help us give high-quality, compassionate care our patients, their families and visitors.
One of our dedicated volunteers is Nick Miles, who has been a key part of the Library’s Patient Book Trolley service for the past year, offering books and a friendly listening ear to patients on our wards.
Nick, along with fellow volunteers Alan Le Grys and Eileen Griffiths, has been named a finalist in the Volunteer of the Year category at this year’s Medway Annual Star Awards, which take place on Thursday 16 July.
Alan, a volunteer chaplain, was nominated for his quiet, reliable presence and his ability to support patients of all faiths or none. Eileen received her nomination for consistently going the extra mile in helping others and for her dedicated support to the Medway Hospital Charity, the Emergency Department and Hospital Radio Medway.
Our volunteers can be found in a variety of areas including supporting patients as dementia buddies, undertaking administrative and clerical duties on the wards, acting as guides, supporting our Chaplains, assisting in the Emergency Department, intensive care unit, pharmacy and library. They also support our Frailty Unit at Sheppey Community Hospital.
Our volunteers also include our much‑loved Pets as Therapy Team, whose visits bring comfort, smiles and moments of joy to patients during their stay.
Zoe Goodman, the hospital’s Voluntary Services Manager said: “We extend our heartfelt thanks to every volunteer who gives their time, compassion and energy to support our hospitals and our community. The value and the contribution that they give is amazing.
“As part of Volunteers’ Week and to recognise and celebrate their commitment we will be holding our annual volunteers cream tea on Friday 5 June.”
We are also grateful for the continued support of the 160 volunteers at the League of Friends and Hospital Radio Medway, who operate independently but work closely with us to enhance patient and visitor experience.
Anyone with an interest in health and wellbeing who is over the age of 16 is welcome to apply to become a volunteer at Medway Maritime Hospital or the Sheppey Frailty Unit. Volunteers are given a full induction, and training sessions are provided to help them in their role.
Find out more about volunteering with us.
