Experience of Care Week - Working in partnership
The Community Engagement and Experience Team at Solent NHS Trust works in partnership with patients, families, carers, volunteers, and staff to ensure the community voice is at the heart of what they do.
Chrissy Gregson, Volunteer and Patient Experience Manager, spoke to us about her role in the team. She said: “One day, I was approached by our Chief Nurse who asked me to work with volunteers alongside my patient experience role. Very quickly it became clear to me how the two could work together, and how our wonderful volunteers already play a big part in enhancing the patients’ experiences.”
The team strives to build trusting relationships with the local communities who share the same ambition of improving our service for people in the local community.
Chrissy shared: “In 2023, with the support of our volunteers, we ran a wellbeing project. A small team of volunteers telephoned our patients to ask how their experiences could be improved. Although it’s difficult to pre-empt what type of conversations our volunteers were likely to have, we felt it was important for patients to have a voice and for us to provide a listening ear.”
Chrissy and the team have developed a volunteer action plan to map out the key priorities for the volunteering service.
- Ensuring wide representation across our volunteer base
- Simplifying the process for becoming a volunteer
- Developing a career pathway within Solent NHS Trust
“With this plan in place we have seen an increase in the number of volunteers, from a range of different backgrounds and ages, coming forward to offer their support. We offer our volunteers full training and the opportunity to meet on a regular basis through coffee sessions. It’s a great way to develop skills and meet new people, and some have gone on to secure a paid position elsewhere in the Trust.
“Every day I feel very proud to be the volunteer and patient experience manager. It’s rewarding to see the positive changes we can help make for our patients. The next year will see a number of exciting projects as we become Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and we look forward to sharing more details soon.”
Click here to learn more about volunteering.