Post 27 July 2023

Growing King's volunteers

We have intensified our support for King’s Volunteers, working in partnership with King's to strengthen the team that makes such a difference to how people experience our hospitals.
Six King's volunteers, wearing bright orange t-shirts, standing and smiling on the stairs of King's College Hospital

Helping to sustain and grow King’s Volunteers

We have committed £200,000 of new funding to support King’s Volunteers to expand and strengthen their role right at the heart of King’s hospitals. 

"The support we receive from the Charity enables us to increase the reach of our volunteers across King's, which results in the service being able to support even more patients. It has also given us the opportunity to innovate and develop new services in response to feedback we receive from our patients."
Luke Palmer, Patient Experience and Involvement Lead at the Trust
  • During 2022/23 1,503 King’s volunteers contributed over 70,000 hours to help make people feel more comfortable and relaxed in hospital.

Tackling loneliness and boredom

Long stays in hospital can lead to increased patient boredom and anxiety, exacerbating what is already a stressful experience. Our brilliant volunteers have been helping patients use our new entertainment portal, a digital space where patients can access digitised magazines, games, radio and TV channels. Young volunteers have played a particularly vital role in distributing tablet devices and supporting thousands of patients to use entertainment system.

Volunteers, like Rachel Bowyer, play a huge role in making the hospital environment feel less bewildering and intimidating. As well as providing logistical support, they help people feel at ease and take the time to sit with patients who are experiencing distress or isolation. Read the full story 

Reflecting Kings' diverse community

Thanks to funding we secured from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and NHS Charities Together through the Volunteer Futures Fund, we are now able to support more young people from local schools to overcome barriers that can prevent them from getting involved and reaping the rewards of volunteering.

With a wide cross-section of volunteers from all over London and Kent, King's wanted to increase the number of opportunities available, especially for young people interested in a career in healthcare who might be unaware of the opportunities open to them. So, the recruitment team focus on students who are working towards a BTEC qualification in Health and Social Care – typically a less conventional route into a career in healthcare.

Their Youth Engagement Coordinator works with teachers and work experience coordinators to identify and refer young people and provide pastoral care for those who would most benefit from volunteering to improve their skills and confidence.

18-year-old Amina is one of our fantastic young King’s volunteers. Read how her experience helped her to grow in confidence and develop skills that she can take with her – wherever she goes. Read the full story