Publish date: 30 October 2020

Northumbria recognised for investing in its valued volunteers once again


Three men standing next to some crates. The crates are stacked full of boxes of food.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has cemented its position at the forefront of volunteering by being awarded a prestigious national standard for the way it manages its service for the second time.

Following a rigorous assessment process, the trust has once again achieved the Investing in Volunteers (IiV) quality standard – the only NHS trust in the North East to have done so twice and one of only a handful in the country to be accredited.

Northumbria has around 700 volunteers as part of its volunteer service (NVS) who carry out a range of roles in hospitals and in the community across Northumberland and North Tyneside which are central to the day-to-day running of the trust.

During this year’s challenging times, the trust was very grateful for the number of people who stepped up to help at their local hospital or in the community in whatever role was available as a Covid volunteer.

Lynn McCormack, operational services manager for volunteering at Northumbria Healthcare, said: “As a trust we greatly value the work of our volunteers and we are delighted to be accredited with this prestigious quality standard once again, demonstrating that we are at the forefront of volunteering in the NHS.

“It is a great achievement not only for our trust but for our hundreds of volunteers who contribute every single day. It is an excellent endorsement of how we manage our volunteer service and to everyone involved in running it on a daily basis.

“Our dedicated volunteers are truly amazing and give up their time for the benefit of our patients and visitors. All of our volunteer roles support our staff to do their jobs and provide the little extras that make such a difference to our patient and visitor experience.

“That couldn’t have been made clearer than during coronavirus when local people came forward in their droves to lend extra pairs of helping hands and we can’t thank them enough.”

Volunteer roles include meeting and greeting people at hospital entrances, working in NVS shops at North Tyneside, Wansbeck, Hexham, Blyth and The Northumbria hospitals, driving the buggy to transport people and assisting patients at mealtimes and facilitating ward activities.

Volunteer Brenda McKay said: “I have been in my role as a meet and greet volunteer and buggy driver for more than eight years now and I really look forward to spending time at North Tyneside General Hospital.

“I get to see new people every single day, not to mention the colleagues I work with who are so kind and supportive and the service is so well managed by the trust.

“I would encourage anyone to look at volunteering with their local hospital – it really feels like you’re giving something back.”

To find out more about volunteering at Northumbria Healthcare, visit here, email volunteers@northumbria.nhs.ukor contact 0191 203 1511.