Volunteer News Join the Trust and make a difference

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1 Volunteer News Join the Trust and make a difference Issue 9 Summer 2015 Welcome Welcome to the summer 2015 edition of Volunteer News, which includes a round-up of news, events and volunteer opportunity. Please get in touch with any ideas or articles for the next edition, or any feedback about how we can improve the newsletter. Contact details are provided on the back page. Volunteer co-ordinators, Allison Byrne, Naheed Asif and Michael Garside Pennine Care celebrates fantastic work of volunteers Volunteers and their supervisors from across the Trust, who give up their time to support local community and mental health services, attended a celebration in recognition of their commitment and contribution. The Trust has just over 200 volunteers who generously give more than 4,000 hours of their time each month. The volunteers are made up of current or former service users, carers, staff and members of the public who volunteer in a variety of roles and service areas. Trust Chairman, John Schofield opened the event and thanked the volunteers for their involvement in the Trust s work. He highlighted how their contributions make a real difference in enhancing the services provided by the Trust particularly to our service users and carers. John also presented the long service badges and certificates which recognise the number of years service given by individual volunteers. Amongst those receiving awards, two people were awarded gold badges Janet Hinkley, who volunteers on Ramsbottom Ward in Bury and Kathleen Byrom, from the Memory Clinic at the Etherow Unit in Tameside. We would like to say a huge congratulations to all who received awards, not forgetting those who were unable to attend the lunch. See you next year! The event, held at Dukinfield Town Hall on Thursday 4th June, included a lunch and long service awards for those who have completed one, three or five or more years as volunteers, with some dedicating more than 15 years.

2 George s Story I had been using primary care and third sector services for a few years and I knew that I had done a lot of the work towards achieving my recovery goals. I was given an information leaflet about volunteering with PALS at Pennine Care. I sometimes find myself thinking about how different things could have been if I hadn t been given that leaflet. I made contact with the Volunteer Coordinator who was so supportive, approachable and put me at ease almost immediately. Their approach was to discuss my skills, knowledge and wants and to tell me all the roles that may particularly suit me, I was blown away. I was being told how able I was (am) and how valuable I would be to Pennine Care as a volunteer! I filled in all the paperwork and passed all the checks that I needed. Then the day came when I went to meet the Service Manager of a mental health in-patient unit that supported individuals rehabilitate into the community. I was terrified and thought, Oh here goes, I ve been given an easy ride up until now, I bet this manager is going to tear me apart, wrong again! I was welcomed into the unit and we sat down for an informal chat, my mind was like, hang on a minute; they re just as eager as I am here! Less than a week later, I was a volunteer. I had been volunteering for a little while and was totally enjoying my experience and the role I was doing. I began by watching the team and how they worked; how they supported and complemented each aspect of nursing care. My volunteering helped me to massively grow in confidence; I was ready to take the plunge into applying for my first nursing assistant job. I am now in my third role as a Recovery and Inclusion worker. Part of my role is to manage the volunteers recruited to the unit where I work. I genuinely feel both honoured and privileged to be able to pass on my experience of volunteering to our future volunteers. If someone asked me, should I volunteer? I would simply say do it. I would tell them how beneficial it has been to me and my family. New Training for Volunteers Core and Essentials Skills Training (CEST) is mandatory for all staff and supports them to undertake their roles in a safe and competent way. This training has recently been revised and is now a requirement for all volunteers to complete. The volunteer role undertaken will indicate which courses need to be completed, by what method and how often. The volunteer s supervisor will discuss with volunteers individually the courses they need to undertake. The training may be face to face or electronic (elearning). The face to face courses can be booked through the Pennine Care intranet in the same way as staff, by the supervisors. ELearning courses are accessed via a computer. The first time the courses are accessed must be from a Pennine Care Trust computer, but after that they can be accessed from any computer. A guidance booklet has been distributed on how to access these courses. Support is available for those who do not have access to a computer or are not confident in using one. Volunteers should discuss any support needs and concerns with their supervisor.

3 Volunteers infographic Volunteers play an important role within our services; their contributions allow us to enrich and extend the range of services we offer to patients, their relatives and carers. Volunteering is a two way process; that of helping to meet and enhance the care of patients, their relatives and carers and to provide an avenue for members of the community to offer their services. We have volunteers supporting services across the whole footprint in mental health, community and corporate services. The volunteers come from all walks of life and volunteer for all sorts of reasons. The infographic below is a visual representation of the information and data we gather in the volunteer service. It is intended to present the information quickly and clearly. Number of volunteers = 204 Gender split Male Female Total number of hours per month = 4,899 Annual hours = 58,788 Number in Mental health services Number in community Number in Corporate services 64 Average hours per volunteer = approx 24 hrs per month

4 A Day in the Life of Name: Matthew Position: Patient Experience Volunteer Location: Phoenix Centre, Heywood Time in Post: Since Jan 2015 What does the role involve? My role primarily revolves around engaging with patients who come through the Centre and gaining feedback from them regarding what their experience as a patient at the Centre was like. This is achieved by patients completing either a Patient Experience Questionnaire or the recently developed Friends and Family Test, using the Pink Elephant kiosk, or on a paper questionnaire. I then gather the feedback and pass it onto a senior member of the Patient Experience team. Why did you apply to volunteer? I had been interested in getting involved with the NHS for a long time and gaining experience working alongside both patients and health professionals and this role allows me to do this. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? The fulfilment gained from interacting and chatting with patients and helping to make sure they re getting the satisfactory service they require. What s the hardest thing? Some patients tend to resort to being on their phones for the majority of their waiting time and wish to leave promptly after their appointment has finished, which can make it difficult to gain feedback at times and the Pink Elephant kiosks can be temperamental too! How does volunteering affect your everyday life? I am currently a full-time carer for a relative which can be demanding and volunteering in this role for a short time every week, allows me to experience something different in my day-to-day life. What are your interests? I enjoy being active and am a big football fan and tend to play two or three times a week as well as watching it regularly. Matthew pictured at the Phoenix Centre DBS Update Service The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) update service lets applicants keep their DBS certificates up to date online and allows employers to check a certificate online. You can register online as soon as you have your application form reference number. You can ask for the number when you apply for your DBS check. Or you can wait and register with your certificate number when you receive your DBS certificate. If so, you must do so within 19 days of the certificate being issued. You can view your details online once you ve registered. You can check the progress of your DBS certificate using the DBS tracking service. Registration lasts for one year and is free for volunteers.

5 You ll get an ID number with your registration that you need to log on to the service. When you join, you ll get an online account that lets you: take your certificate from one placement to the next give employers permission to check your certificate online, and see who has checked it add or remove a certificate You can go to and find out more about the Update Service. Sophia achieves National Assessor Accreditation Congratulations go to Sophia (pictured below) on achieving National Assessor Accreditation with the Expert Patients Programme. Sophia, who is already a volunteer tutor and has been with the NHS for a number of years, is now qualified to peer assess tutors delivering the Expert Patients Programme nationally. Julie Dawson, Expert Patients Programme Service Lead, said: I feel very proud and privileged to be working with such a dedicated team of volunteers. Well done to you all on your successes. Please do not hesitate to contact your volunteer coordinator if you wish to discuss this with them. Expert Patients Programme becomes QISMET certified The Expert Patients Programme in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale are pleased to announce that following a robust audit the service has now been certified by QISMET (Quality Institute for Self-Management Education and Training), in meeting the standards for Health Management Programmes and Interventions. This included meeting 24 standards covering four key themes: Management and Organisation, The Programme, Facilitation and Performance Management. The team, primarily made up of volunteers, both admin and tutors, fully supported the audit process throughout in ensuring the safe delivery of service at all times and are congratulated on all of their hard work, commitment and sheer dedication in wanting to support the self-management of others. How volunteering can make a difference Katherine After the birth of my third child and subsequently spending a few years at home, I decided it was time to look for employment. My previous work history had always been office based but I was determined this time to follow my heart and aspirations to become a nurse. I was made aware, by a friend, of the opportunity to enrol on a La Leche League breastfeeding support course which would involve one morning a week over a twelve

6 weeks period and once fully trained would enable me to give breastfeeding advice to mothers. Having breastfed my own children and experienced some challenges, I felt this was an opportunity that I could give back some of the support I had received and possibly offer encouragement to other mothers, simply by sharing my own experiences. The group was a welcome mix of new, experienced and past breastfeeding mums. The course was relaxed and friendly yet very informative, awarding us with all the knowledge required to become an NHS volunteer. I was sent to Belfield Community Centre and from day one was made to feel very welcome. Here I am able to give as much knowledge and advice to families as possible, helping them to make an informed choice on how to breastfeed their baby. This experience has enabled me to witness, first hand, different family structures and become more accepting and supporting of different situations. I was proud to include my volunteering experience in my personal statement, when applying to become a nurse and can happily report that I was accepted and am looking forward to the start of my much awaited nursing career! Want to get in touch? Allison Byrne Volunteer Co-ordinator Tel: or allison.byrne@nhs.net Naheed Asif Volunteer Co-ordinator for Mental Health Services Tel: or naheed.asif@nhs.net Michael Garside Volunteer Co-ordinator for Community Health Services Tel: or michael.garside@nhs.net Prefer to receive your next issue by ? Please forward your name and address to: volunteering.penninecare@nhs.net Date of publication: August 2015 Reference: 3878/Volunteer Newsletter Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust