9 June 2025

Monday 2 June marked the start of Volunteers’ Week – a week that is celebrated nationally and shines a light on the incredible impact that volunteers make.

Throughout the week, The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs Shropshire’s two acute hospitals, thanked those who give their time freely to help patients and hospital staff.

There are 234 active volunteers who support patients, their families and colleagues. In total, the volunteers gave 27,901 hours over the past year.

The volunteers come from a wide range of backgrounds, and the roles available are varied from greeting patients at the hospital entrance, offering telephone support to patients who have recently returned home, to helping in the Emergency Departments.

Juliette Fozing has recently completed the Volunteer to Career Midwifery programme (V2C) at the Princess Royal Hospital. The V2C offers a pathway to explore healthcare careers and gain vital experience on what it is like to work within a department.

She said: “I had the privilege to shadow Midwives and Maternity Support Workers. I observed how to collect blood samples, check newborn sugar levels, and to check blood pressures and temperatures for both mothers and their babies. I gained a lot of experience working with the postnatal team. The program enabled me to have an overview of the diversity of roles within the maternity unit.”

Edward Chinn is a youth volunteer and helps in the Treatment Centre and the Discharge Lounge at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. He wanted to give back to the organisation that gave him excellent care and support whilst undergoing hospital treatments as a child.

In the future, Edward hopes to apply for a permanent position and sees volunteering as a helpful way to gain experience of working at the Trust.

Edward said: “I want to inspire people that wouldn’t have considered a career in the NHS and show them, that even with a medical condition, that if you put your mind to something you should go for it. I also want to help other people who need hospital care. I enjoy working in a team and I like to be busy.”

Sarah Stockdale started volunteering in Cancer Services within the Living Well programme, after undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

She said: “I first got involved after my treatment for breast cancer as I had had such a positive and supportive experience. I felt that I needed to give something back. Volunteering in this area is so rewarding.”

Julia Clarke, Director of Public Participation, said: “Across the NHS volunteers quietly help and support people without expecting anything in return, but Volunteers Week gives us a great opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you for everything our volunteers do.

“Our friendly and compassionate volunteers cover a wide range of roles and are key members of the NHS family, universally appreciated and welcomed by patients, staff and visitors alike.“We are profoundly grateful to all our volunteers for their invaluable contribution to our hospitals and the care and kindness they show our staff and patients all year round.”

Volunteering at the Trust can take many forms. SaTH Programmes include:

  • The core volunteers who volunteer throughout the year in one or more of our 30 different roles that are available to best suits them
  • Youth Volunteers who are 16-18 and looking to get valuable volunteer hours as work experience for further education (the programme will reopen in September 2025)
  • The Volunteer to Career (VtC) Programme supports people to explore careers in healthcare while volunteering. Working with Helpforce, a national charity set up to expand volunteering in the NHS, and the local Armed Forces network as one of 14 pilot sites to deliver two Veterans and Families Volunteer to Career Programmes with the aim of creating a pathway for retired veterans and their families to work within the healthcare sector in clinical and non-clinical roles.
  • Our Specialty Patient Experience Group (SPEG) volunteers who are volunteers who join groups and panels to share experiences and make improvements.

If you would like to find out more about volunteering at SaTH, please visit: Volunteering at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (sath.nhs.uk)