Volunteers dedicate 31,000 hours to the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust

In the past year, 306 volunteers have generously dedicated 31,616 hours to supporting staff at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust. Their invaluable efforts help ensure patients receive outstanding and compassionate care.

Volunteers play a vital role in a wide range of areas, including greeting patients and visitors, transporting patients on our hospital buggies, providing support to patients as compassionate companions, helping teams with administration duties, and pharmacy store runners.

Here are some of the things our volunteers have done across the year:

• 4,800 miles driven by our buggy drivers, ensuring that patients and visitors arrive at appointments on time and in comfort.
• 490 visitors explored our Medical Museum, showcasing the history of healthcare at the Royal Berkshire Hospital since the 1800s.
• 900 gifts were donated, wrapped, and delivered to patients spending Christmas in hospital.
• 1,800 hours of live radio broadcasted through Hospital Radio Reading.
• 268 hours were spent as our patient companions sat with patients to support them.

One inspiring example is Matt, who once was a patient in our Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and now volunteers in ICU and the Emergency Department to express his gratitude to the staff who saved his life.

Steve McManus, Chief Executive says ‘Our volunteers play an integral part to the functioning of the Trust. Their generosity makes an invaluable difference to the experience of our patients, visitors, and also staff who they work alongside to support. I’ve seen first hand the difference it makes when visiting the different teams and departments across the Trust. I look forward to thanking our many volunteers for their support at our annual Volunteers Supper.’