Middlemore Hospital’s RAINBOW Volunteers In partnership with services across the hospital, volunteers at Middlemore Hospital are now being strategically placed to help enhance our patient experience. The success of our programme has been acknowledged when our team was awarded the Winners of the 2016 Minister of Health Volunteer Awards "Health Care Provider Service Volunteers team”. This award was made possible by the ongoing dedication and support of our volunteers from our community. There are multiple steps in the patient journey into the hospital and back to the community, where patient care can be enhanced by additional support. Volunteers can provide this support, assistance and guidance, allowing clinical staff to concentrate on the clinical aspect of care. Some of the things volunteers are doing: helping at meal times on the wards reading to patients, playing card games or just chatting to/visiting them taking patients for a walk and helping them get mobile helping with hand hygiene Reception /way finding admin support and helping with patient surveys helping at Kidz First Children’s Hospital The volunteer workforce is also seen as a future talent pipeline, for ultimate permanent employment from the community into our organisation, where appropriate, thus contributing to the organisation's Workforce strategy. If you’re interested email our volunteer coordinator, Adrian Voykovich ([email protected]), who will explain the process, which includes a police screening.

Volunteers have been an integral part of Manukau Health Park since its opening in 1997. Based at the Outpatient Front Entrance desk supporting the Receptionist Staff, the volunteers provide a welcoming first point of contact for patients, whaanau and visitors to the site. Through their front-of-house roles, volunteers support patient flow, site safety and wayfinding, helping people navigate a large site and for some, an unfamiliar environment. Their presence contributes to a respectful, culturally responsive experience grounded in Manaakitanga, supporting more equitable access to care and a positive patient experience from arrival.

This group of volunteers provides comfort, information and support of a non clinical nature to patients (and their relatives) while they are waiting for or undergoing treatment in the Emergency Department. The general type of work involves: sitting with, listening to and talking with patients assisting relatives in family (whanau) rooms and supporting them if required keeping a reassuring eye on patients in the waiting room offering a shoulder to cry on or a hand to hold assisting with dependent (elderly) relatives or children helping out with the delivery and serving of meals and cups of tea assisting patients by finding them a magazine or the telephone help out with making beds assisting with the general tidiness of public areas Key requirements of a volunteer are: excellent communication skills a compassionate and caring nature tact and sensitivity an appreciation of different cultures and age groups If you have what it takes to become a Friend of the Emergency Department, email [email protected]

Radio Lollipop is an independent international not-for-profit organisation that works with children. They also do several evening sessions on the wards at Kidz First Children's Hospital providing craft and board game activities. Volunteers visit the children in the wards with games and activities and occasionally organise theme evenings and special guests. Volunteers need to: be willing to attend a compulsory information evening for prospective volunteers held twice a year be mature and reliable have experience with children and be comfortable around them be familiar with a hospital environment For further information please contact Radio Lollipop [email protected]