Call for doggy volunteers to help support patients and staff at Northumbria Healthcare
Wag & Company is a charity specialising in dog-befriending services for older dog lovers in their own homes, as well as in care or in hospitals, to help combat loneliness, isolation and bereavement.
Its partnership with Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust now supports not just patients but also hard-working staff – and the charity is on the lookout for volunteers with dogs who are interested in supporting its much-loved services.
The trust, which runs hospitals and community services in Northumberland and North Tyneside, launched its project with the charity back in July 2018, dubbing it the Doggies on Prescription service – initially to provide some canine companionship to older people in the community.
This soon developed further to include visits to wards at the trust’s Hexham General Hospital, before Covid-19 lockdowns interrupted the scheme’s growth. However, Wag & Company continued to support older people in their own homes throughout the pandemic in different ways, before returning to physical visiting, initially outside, in spring 2021.
Doggy ward visits now take place at a number of wards across multiple Northumbria Healthcare sites – Blyth Community Hospital, Hexham General Hospital, Haltwhistle War Memorial Hospital, North Tyneside General Hospital, North Tyneside Intermediate Care Unit, the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital and Wansbeck General Hospital.
In addition, there are currently around 30 home placements for Northumbria patients, as part of more than 150 across the North East. But there are many more on the waiting list, which is why the charity is looking to sign up new volunteers, for one-to-one as well as care home visiting.
“Our partnership with Northumbria Healthcare is a really special one and its fantastic how friendship dog Whitley has been ‘adopted’ as the trust’s dog, visiting staff on a regular basis.
“We are very grateful for the support of the trust’s Bright charity too, but demand is huge, and we currently have 212 care and medical placements on our waiting list.
“Recruiting new, and retaining existing, volunteers is an ongoing challenge, which is why I would really encourage anyone interested in making a real difference to people’s lives by providing a friendship dog to get in touch. You would be amazed how much it can brighten someone’s day.”
Diane Morton, CEO and chair of Wag and Company
“The impact of loneliness and isolation on someone’s health and wellbeing is widely recognised, so we are keen supporters of our ongoing partnership with Wag and Company. “Our role is to fund things that the NHS does not, but which support a better experience for our patients and staff. The visits by Whitley and other friendship dogs are a perfect example of how something a little bit different can have a huge positive impact.”
Brenda Longstaff, head of the Bright charity
For more information about volunteering or how you can offer support in other ways, visit www.wagandcompany.co.uk or contact info@wagandcompany.co.uk.
