Why our volunteers are so incredible and how you can get involved

To celebrate the start of Volunteers’ Week, we want to highlight the invaluable contributions our volunteers make to Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB).   

The Health Board is proud to work with hundreds of volunteers who go above and beyond to support patients, their families and the wider community. Our volunteers not only devote their time, but also their energy, expertise and dedication.  

Our volunteers support a wide range of projects, including those created as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.   

We have 184 volunteers supporting our hospitals as Meet and Greet volunteers, Information Centre volunteers, Patient Befrienders and Chaplaincy volunteers. 216 volunteers are also preparing to join our Voluntary Services.   

Applications are currently open for our Information Centre and Patient Survey programmes.    

Meet and Greet Volunteers  

Our Meet and Greet Volunteers provide a friendly welcome to all patients, carers, visitors and staff coming into our hospitals and vaccination centres.   

They signpost, direct and can accompany patients and visitors to the many locations on site and also reassure anxious patients and visitors who may be lost or unsure of where to go.  

At the beginning of the pandemic, Voluntary Services stood down all volunteers but the Meet and Greet project is now back up and running.   

Information Centre Volunteers  

Information Centre volunteers provide patients, visitors and colleagues with information and help signpost them to the different areas at University Hospital Llandough, University Hospital of Wales and Barry Hospital.   

Applications are currently open for Information Centre volunteers across the three sites.   

Volunteers will need to be available for a minimum of two hours per week (Monday to Friday) and be able to commit to at least six months volunteering with us.  

To find out more information about the roles and application process, click here.  

Patient Befriender   

Our Patient Befriender volunteers engage with patients who might feel isolated, lonely or bored. They spend time talking to patients and take part in activities that boost their mental wellbeing. Throughout the pandemic, they also helped patients connect with loved ones virtually.   

To highlight how valuable our Patient Befriender volunteers are, one member of staff has described the incredible impact Donna, one of our volunteers, had on a patient.    

They said: “A colleague had been visiting a patient on the ward and when Donna walked in the patient beamed.    

“Donna obviously had a positive impact on her and she remembered Donna from previous visits. It was lovely to see her reaction.”  

To read more about our Patient Befriender volunteers, click here.  

Mass Vaccination Centre   

The MVC Meet and Greet programme was launched in December 2020 to support the roll-out of the Mass Vaccination Programme across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.   

Our volunteers provide a welcoming presence at the entrance of vaccination centres and assist those who may feel anxious or apprehensive.   

They also direct visitors throughout the MVCs, provide important information and are on hand to ensure everybody follows safety procedures.  

More than 100 volunteers are currently supporting our MVCs. Between January 2021 and March 2022, the MVC Meet and Green service was also supported by St Johns Ambulance Cymru and Red Cross volunteers.  

One MVC volunteer said: “I got great pleasure from working at the vaccination centre. I greeted people and then showed them the way around. Thank you very much for the opportunity.”  

To read more about our MVC volunteers, click here.  

Patient Surveys  

Our Voluntary Services team is currently recruiting volunteers to gather valuable feedback from our patients and service users.   

This ensures service users across the Health Board are being treated and cared for in a supportive environment which promotes their recovery and provides dignity and respect.   

Patient Survey volunteers liaise with nurse managers and staff on wards, outpatient departments and other areas to identify which service users may be approached. They then spend time speaking to service users and listening to their feedback.   

All volunteers joining the team will be buddied up with more experienced Patient Survey volunteers. To find out more, click here.  

Youth Board   

While the majority of our roles are for volunteers aged 18+, our Health Board is also proud to support young people to engage in meaningful volunteering roles.   

We strive to create an environment in which our young volunteers drive their ideas forward, learn new skills and feel they are valued, respected and an important part of our community.  

To learn more about our Youth Board, click here.