MP praises local hospital volunteers

David Rutley saluted the work of over 280 local volunteers from the Royal Voluntary Service and Eastern Cheshire Trust Voluntary Services, on a visit to Macclesfield District General Hospital.

David met with Aoife Middlemass, Volunteer Manager for Eastern Cheshire Trust, then Jo Roberts, RVS Service Manager, to learn more about the vital work being done by local people for our community.

Volunteering roles with RVS range from befriending and home help to community transport. Telephone befriending volunteers also make regular phone calls to older people to ensure they are safe and well and to offer companionship and good conversation. This service may be particularly beneficial to an older person returning home from a stay in hospital to allow them to identify any unmet needs where they can offer further support.

In addition to this, when friends and family live too far away to make regular contact, the Royal Voluntary Service can provide a little bit of company and friendly social contact at home through their befriending services.

David also took the opportunity to visit the Dementia ward at the hospital, to see at first-hand how volunteers support dementia patients and their families in the hospital itself. Volunteers here provide practical and social support to older people when they need it most, during a stay in hospital.

Before leaving, David popped into the RVS run café and shop, which is also run by volunteers on the behalf of patients and their visitors. David spoke to RVS volunteer Hazel Reeves, to discuss how volunteers can provide customers with a friendly and compassionate point of contact, at what can be a difficult time for visiting friends and family.

Following his visit, David said, “The work being done in the hospital is truly inspiring and is making a real difference to many people in Macclesfield. Volunteers play an important role providing support to the hard working doctors and nurses at Macclesfield District General Hospital. I would like to thank them for the greatly appreciated work that they do in our community.”

More information on the important work of the RVS, including how to get involved, can be found on their website: www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk.