Listening

lineIssue Four– May 2019

From the Governors of Guy’s and St Thomas’

NHS Foundation Trust

St Joseph’s pupils Alexander, Chelsey, and Emerald with teacher Sian Lacey

Chloe Waller, Annie Cockcroft in the Friends Shop at St Thomas’

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Please let us know what you think of Listening line, and send us your ideas for future issues.

Listening Line is published on behalf of the governors of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. © 2019 Corporate Affairs department, St Thomas’ Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK. For enquiries, contact governors@gstt.nhs.uk. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. All information is accurate at time of going to press but is subject to change.

Welcome to the fourth issue of Listening line.

EDITED BYDevon Allison

DESIGNERClaire Blackmore

PATIENT GOVERNORSDevon Allison

Heather Byron

Jonathan Farley

William Moses

Placida Uzoamaka Ojinnaka

Giuseppe Sollazzo

Mary Stirling

Yu Tan

PUBLIC GOVERNORS Marcia Da Costa

Elaine Burns

Annabel Fiddian-Green

Margaret McEvoy

Prof John Porter

Samantha Quaye

Jenny Stiles

Peter Yeh

STAFF GOVERNORSDr Tahzeeb Bhagat

Prof John Chambers

Dr Tony Hulse

Anita Macro

Vicky Rogers

Bryn Williams

STAKEHOLDER GOVERNORSCllr Jacqui Dyer (Lambeth Council)

Cllr Alice Macdonald (Southwark Council)

Dr John Balazs (Lambeth Clinical Commissioning Group)

Dr Robert Davidson (Southwark Clinical Commissioning Group)

Dr Jane Fryer (NHS England)

Prof Lucilla Poston (King’s College London)

Sue Slipman (King’s College Hospital)

Prof Warren Turner (London South Bank University)

Dr Matthew Patrick (South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust)

Listening line

Join the Trust: www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/membership

May 2019

“It’s really good for the children to realise that they may not have everything they want, but they do have their health, and the freedom to run and play…(Helping Evelina London) helps them see how lucky they are, and doing good for other people makes you feel good about yourself.”

Sian Lacey, Primary School Teacher, volunteer for Guy’s, St Thomas’ and Evelina London

Following a recent member’s question about how to become a volunteer, this fourth issue of “Listening line” is devoted to volunteering, and features a variety of people donating time and sharing their expertise to help other people at the Trust. These include Chloe Waller and Annie Cockcroft, pictured below, who form a welcoming double act in the Friends of Guy’s and St Thomas’ shop, which serves “everyone, from consultants to people visiting loved ones”, including the occasional famous face. Between them they have more than 25 years of volunteering, and enjoy “giving something back”.

We thank all the Trust’s volunteers for all they do, and invite those of you who might want to volunteer to get in touch. You’ll be welcomed!

And finally, don’t forget that your Trust membership entitles you to seek election as a governor, and to vote in our upcoming governor elections. This is yet another form of volunteering for the hospitals, and I can highly recommend it.

All the best,

Devon AllisonPatient governor, lead governor0207 188 7346 | governors@gstt.nhs.uk

JOINING OUR FAMILY OF VOLUNTEERS Nearly 700 people give the hospitals around 35,000 hours a year, an amazing contribution.

Volunteers at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust come from all walks and times of life, and they all have interesting stories to tell. Volunteers include students preparing for healthcare careers and volunteers employed full-time elsewhere who want to give something back to the community. The Trust has quite a few volunteers who have been out of the workplace and want to get back into team working, and retired people.

As all volunteers interact with patients and their families, the Trust runs DBS checks, and volunteers are asked to join some training.

Amanda Bryan, volunteer services lead, says: “Our volunteers are part of our Guy’s and St Thomas’ family, so there’s a Christmas lunch and a summer afternoon tea for everyone to share stories and congratulate friends on long service awards.”

SPACE FOR YOU We’ve got a place for everyone.• Through fundraising, you can participate

in an event, create one, get your school involved, or do a host of other things.

• Make a regular donation of time and expertise.

• Through the Friends of Guy’s and St Thomas’, you can volunteer in the shop, amongst other things, or simply donate to support their work.

• Patients and carers volunteer their time through dozens of groups supporting each other, and the work of the hospitals.

• Staff members can become Charity Champions—take a look at the website to learn more.

To find out more, visit www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/volunteering

and search ‘volunteer’. Or call us on 0207 188 7346 and we’ll try to help you find the perfect way to volunteer.

Chloe, Devon, and Annie

in the Friends shop

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Listening line

May 2019

It’s personalTeacher Sian Lacey’s volunteering for the hospitals comes straight from the heart. Her baby daughter’s life was saved at the hospital, and she reflected that “the box of chocolates I bought for the doctors and nurses didn’t really go very far to say what I felt…so I made myself a private promise that every year I’d do something to give thanks.”

She’s kept that promise, and helped the children and families at her school, St Joseph’s in Camberwell, get involved too. Many children at the school were born at St Thomas’ and many have been looked after by Evelina London Children’s Hospital. Even their school nurse is from Evelina London.

Last year, the St Joseph’s school council voted to support Evelina London because they wanted to help other children, who were going through difficult times. “Children are very empathetic towards other children who may be living in hospital,” she said. “The Evelina ‘Get Colourful’ fundraising campaign really appealed to them, because it was helping other children.”

Sian’s volunteering has also included abseiling and now the Guy’s Urban Challenge. She says it’s been easy to volunteer, even to help her school participate in a campaign. “It’s like having a party,” she smiled, “with the key ingredients provided, you just need to invite the guests!”

DONNA MILLS, LONG-TERM VOLUNTEERWhen Donna Mills’ own health prevented her working full time, she starting volunteering at St Thomas’ in a welcoming and wayfinding role. Nineteen years later, she is still giving her time, as a valued long-term volunteer.

Donna’s volunteering has included an administrative role helping Sir Jonathan Michael (then Chief Executive of the Trust), and years volunteering in the blood unit at Evelina London Children’s Hospital. Most recently, she has moved across to the eye department and retains links to Evelina London.

Donna says: “I now volunteer here three days a week – two of my days are spent helping in the access and appointments department and one in the low vision unit. I love the variety of the work and I know my contribution helps to make the department run more smoothly.”

Donna has a degree in book, arts and crafts design and her knitting and tapestry are sometimes on sale in the hospital to help raise funds.

JESSICA BOCHENEK, STUDENT AND VOLUNTEERFor about six months now, Jessica Bochenek has been working at St Thomas’ Hospital in an administration role, working alongside a team of medical secretaries in the gastroenterology department.

Jessica moved to the UK around four years ago from the US. She is studying healthcare administration online and wanted to look for a volunteer role to complement her studies. Her course itself requires 24 hours of volunteering, but she exceeded that long ago!

Jessica says: “Doing an online course can be quite solitary, so I really enjoy working with a team at the hospital. I work here for six hours a week, across two days.”

“I made myself a private promise that every year I’d do something to give thanks.”

Sian Lacey

Jessica Bochenek

Donna Mills

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It’s all about treating people with respect

Listening line

May 2019

Ask a busy person When her son was born with complex medical issues and Down syndrome, Pippa Hodge needed help to navigate her complicated new path.

Grateful for the support she received at Evelina London and beyond, Pippa poured herself into supporting families with issues she now knows well. These activities range from creating groups to help children with learning difficulties prepare for pre-school, to groups that help families advocate with government for essential support.

Being a parent-carer can be “quite isolating and all-consuming”, and it’s

Roma Dayal wants to specialise in clinical oncology and hopes that volunteering at the Cancer Centre at Guy’s is just the start to a career based around patients and their families.

Volunteering at the Cancer Centre since November last year, Roma helps patients and their families find their way around.

Studying biomedical science at King’s College London, Roma is based on campus nearby. As well as helping at Guy’s on Friday mornings, she also helps out as a healthcare assistant in a care home for people with dementia and cognitive decline.

“Volunteering is an important part of applying for medical school. I really enjoy helping people and this role seemed the perfect stepping stone for my career in oncology” she says.

The Cancer Centre at Guy’s is a large and modern building, and patients can be worried and confused, so Roma makes sure to either guide or take them to the right area. She says: “People don’t always understand that sometimes they need to have blood tests before other appointments, so it’s important to steer them in the right direction as soon as they enter the building. It’s all about treating everyone with respect.”

important for Pippa and her daughters to “not feel we’re the only family living a different kind of lifestyle…to broaden our community”. Pippa is proud to share the “hints, tips, and hacks you learn along the way” and notes “we all need a leg up in life”.

“Everybody has something to give,” Pippa firmly believes, and “anybody who’s got commitment and a desire to improve things can be a volunteer.” Support can be informal. For example, helping someone prepare to take a child to hospital can “ease their way, help their stress levels come down just a little bit” and can therefore be precious.

While she uses her professional skills to organise groups, Pippa finds that impromptu volunteering is also powerful. During one long hospital stay, she taught a fellow parent how to deal with a stoma bag, and that parent “then has passed on that skill to somebody else”. Using life experience to help others makes her life “so much richer. The more I put in, the more I get out for myself,” she says. And this work, “trying improve the landscape for everyone”, has profound impact on her community and her own family.

People get “a sense of belonging and satisfaction from volunteering,” Pippa observes. “I know I’m not alone, and I can use my skills to help.”

Pippa and her son Leo

Pippa with Ellis, Milo, & Archie at a monthly

meet up for“Bumps, Babies & Preschoolers”

Roma Dayal

Pippa with her friend Aiden at a hospital “Stay & Play” therapeutic session

Interviews by Annabel Fiddian-Green and Devon Allison

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