A successful career programme has seen 17 healthcare volunteers take their first steps into a career with the NHS.
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust launched its ‘Volunteer to Career’ initiative in April 2023 as part of a national NHS pilot.
The programme sees hospital volunteers receiving dedicated support to develop their skills and experience for a career in the NHS. It was funded and supported by Health Education England and Helpforce.
Since the pilot ended in March 2024, 17 of the 19 volunteers who completed the programme are now employed or in further education. Outcomes:
- 15 are employed directly by the Trust and their new careers include pharmacy assistants, healthcare assistants and admin roles
- One former volunteer is now employed by another organisation in the social care sector
- Another has been accepted to study a degree in midwifery
Volunteers enrolled on the scheme receive one-to-one support from clinical leads on the ward and the volunteer service team to develop their skills and hone their experience in readiness for job applications and interviews.
Rhema’s story
39-year-old Rhema Godwin from Stockton-on-Tees is one such former volunteer who was enrolled in the volunteer to career scheme. With a background in biomedical science, Rhema moved from her home in Nigeria to the UK in 2022.
After six months volunteering at the University Hospital of North Tees, she secured a role at the trust as a team support worker. Rhema has since achieved a role as an enhanced care worker, providing holistic support to hospital patients who have additional health and social care needs.
She said: “The skills, experiences and relationships you build while volunteering can serve as a strong foundation for a career in the NHS.
“It has provided me with an understanding of patients’ needs and has helped me to develop my basic care skills, such as feeding, mobility and simply providing companionship – which has really made a difference to patients
“I’d advise anyone volunteering to be committed to their passion and pursuit because it pays in the long run. The volunteer to career scheme has been instrumental in my career journey in the UK.”
Emily’s story
With dreams of becoming a midwife, 20-year-old Emily Addison from Shildon, began volunteering at the University Hospital of North Tees in October 2022. Her participation in the volunteer to career programme saw her receive one-to-one support from the trust’s midwifery team.
Since completing the programme, she has been accepted to study midwifery at Northumbria University. She will begin her course in September 2024.
Emily said: “I realised that I was interested in a career in healthcare pretty early on in life and I thought volunteering would be a good way to get experience. That interest was really cemented when I started volunteering on the postnatal ward.
“The volunteer to career programme has given me that experience of how a ward is run and has helped me to gain new skills. And the volunteer service and wider NHS team helped me excel by helping me to prepare for university interviews.”
“A remarkable success”
During the course of the pilot, 3,066 patients were supported. Volunteers on the programme provided 1,113 hours of volunteer support. This included supporting with nutrition, providing patients with company and ensuring their wellbeing and comfort.
Paul Wharton, head of volunteering at the trust said: “The pilot has been a remarkable success on a number of levels – not just the numbers of those moving into work. Success has been measured in the collaboration between the volunteer service, the wider trust and external agencies, including our local authorities.
“We’ve also seen an appetite from the community to get involved and volunteer as a means to secure a career within the NHS.”
The trust’s volunteer team is currently exploring avenues to develop and expand the volunteer to career programme.
Volunteer with us
To find out more about volunteering with North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, visit our volunteering page.
You can also contact the team on:
Tel:
01642 383933
Email:
[email protected]