Hospital Befriender

What does hospital befriending involve?

For many people hospital can be a daunting  experience. Having a familiar face to turn to and to share the experience with  can make a big difference to their stay.

As a hospital befriender you would help to  make the patients’ time in hospital more comfortable by keeping their spirits  up and offering support when things are not going well.

Your volunteering may include:

• taking patients on short walks
• chatting with patients
• listening to patients’ concerns or problems
• running errands for patients, such as shopping.

What could befriending lead to?

Volunteering as a befriender would give you  valuable experience if you wanted to become a Healthcare  Assistant, a Hospital  Porter or an Occupational  Therapy Support Worker.

What skills do I need?

 To be a befriender you should be:

• able to work with all kinds of people
• friendly and reliable
• able to work on your own as well as with members of staff
• prepared to offer support during good and bad times
• able to demonstrate empathy with patients
• committed to helping others.

If you'd like to know more about being a  volunteer, give us acall! All calls are confidential and because we're impartial, you'llget the best possible advice on your options.  You can also email an adviser or request a call back at a time tosuit you.