Bristol hospital grant
North Bristol NHS Trust and University Hospitals Bristol are set to benefit from approximately £50,000 Department of Health funding for additional volunteer support.
The additional funding has has been made available so the Royal Voluntary Service and British Red Cross can provide more volunteers to hospitals in Bristol.
The volunteers are fully trained and will work alongside staff to provide a professional service both in hospitals and in the local community – intended to reduce delayed discharge and ensure older people are being looked after.
Approximately 90 additional volunteers will be joining hospital staff, building upon services that the charities already have in place. More than 300 older patients are anticipated to benefit from these changes.
Laura Goringe, Operations Manager of the Royal Voluntary Service in Bristol said:
“Royal Voluntary Service volunteers have been supporting the NHS since it was founded in 1948 and we are pleased this additional funding will enable us to work alongside staff in Bristol Hospitals to improve the wellbeing of older people. With an ageing population putting mounting pressure on hospitals and local authorities, we believe this is where the voluntary sector can prove invaluable.
We know that the emotional and practical support our trained volunteers provide can aid the recovery of older patients, reducing delayed discharge and easing the pressure faced by busy A&E departments.”
Andrea Young, Chief Executive of North Bristol NHS Trust, said:
“Here at North Bristol NHS Trust we really value volunteers. We have a small army who give up their time every week to support our teams and services in a variety of ways. These can include befriending patients on the wards, helping serve drinks and meals and, of course, our fantastic Move Makers who do such a great job in helping people find their way around the new Brunel building.
This additional funding will help bolster our existing and invaluable partnership with the British Red Cross which predominantly helps elderly people get home from hospital in a safe and timely manner and make sure they are settled and comfortable. This could be from the wards or after a visit to A&E when admission to the hospital is not required. We are delighted to be working with the RVS to spread this service further.”
Robert Woolley, Chief Executive of University Hospitals Bristol, said:
“University Hospitals Bristol has a long history of working in partnership with the RVS; a collaboration which is now entering a new and exciting phase. We’re delighted that funding has been granted by the Department of Health and we look forward to working together with both organisations to make a positive difference to patients’ experiences when they are in our hospitals and when they return home”
Health Minister Lord Howe said:
“The NHS has worked with expert charities including Age UK, British Red Cross and the Royal Voluntary Service for decades to make sure patients get specialist extra support when they most need it. Around 700 volunteers will help mostly older patients once they leave hospital as part of this £1.5m project, which is on top of the record £700m that the Government has provided for 700 more doctors, 4500 more nurses and 5000 more beds."
Minister for Civil Society Rob Wilson said:
“I’m delighted that we are building on the success of existing social action pilots to help improve the health of communities across the England. The additional £1.2m funding that I am announcing today will have the potential to help people to stay well for longer, recover from illness and injury and improve patient experiences. These 29 projects will further demonstrate how the power of volunteers can make a real difference to public services.”
