Our Volunteers

Within the pulmonary rehabilitation department, our volunteers work tirelessly with us to help provide a great experience for patients during their course of rehabilitation.  They are able to encourage patients to make progress with their exercise programme and often offer a welcome that can mean all the difference to a patient arriving for their first session.  They understand the challenges of having a chronic lung disease and know just what to say when patients may be having a bad day, or sometimes find progress slow.  Patients are often surprised to learn that our volunteers once undertook the rehabilitation programme themselves, and this adds to their credibility when offering encouragement and support.  Each of them brings more than just their rehabilitation experience with them; from sharing funny sayings and verse to smoothing communications in several languages; from sharing holiday experiences to being unfailingly calm in all situations. 

Our volunteers are so much a part of the way we run pulmonary rehabilitation we believe many patients don’t consider them to be anything other than a “fully paid up” member of the pulmonary rehabilitation team.

Our fantastic team of volunteers scooped the runner up prize in the “Volunteer of the Year” category at the Caring at its Best award ceremony.  The whole department was delighted for them and very proud of the achievement.