The Northumbria Volunteer Service (NVS) which supports Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating their Investing in Volunteers (IiV) quality standard for the third time running.

The NVS has almost 400 volunteers across Northumberland and North Tyneside, going the extra mile to support patients, visitors, and staff in hospitals.

IiV aims to improve the quality of the volunteering experience for all volunteers and demonstrates that organisations value the enormous contribution made by their volunteers.

Claire Finn, Operational service manager for volunteering, said: “We are very proud to have received this prestigious achievement for the third time running. Our volunteers make a huge difference and we always want to recognise and celebrate them for their contributions.”

The Northumbria Volunteer Service was assessed against six quality areas and proved to excel in all aspects of working with its volunteers, and volunteers were asked about their experiences. One volunteer said: “Volunteering gives me a real sense of purpose; I feel so valued, I enjoy it so much.

“I feel part of a community, I’ve made lots of friends, I get great satisfaction from volunteering, and I get great feedback from patients and staff – they love us.”

Volunteer roles include meeting and greeting people at hospital entrances, working in NVS shops at North Tyneside, Wansbeck, Hexham, Blyth and NSECH, driving the buggy to transport people and facilitating ward activities.

Most volunteers join the NVS at retirement age, but everybody is welcome. Young people are encouraged to gain experience for their university or job applications through the service. A brand-new role has just opened too, one for the ‘sunny’ mascot of Bright Northumbria Healthcare Charity.

There are great benefits to volunteering in a hospital setting, as one volunteer told the IiV: “We all feel very valued. There’s so much stuff that we have access to, for example, we get to go to the gym for free and volunteers get all the well-being stuff that staff have access to, like health MOTs and vaccines.”

If you’re interested in volunteering, contact the team. Email volunteers@northumbria-healthcare.nhs.uk or telephone 0191 203 1354.