The power of volunteering

Cyrus Wong, patient support and volunteer on ward F8 (stroke services) and general intensive care unit.

How long have you volunteered here? Tell us a bit about your journey?

About 6 months. I’m an international student from Hong Kong studying occupational therapy at the University of Southampton.

I wanted to experience working in a hospital and wanted to develop my communication skills and see professionals engaged with patients.

If you’ve been in the same area/department for a while, why that specific area?

Being on F8 I enjoyed doing different activities with patients and keeping them orientated and engaged; chatting with them and finding out how life changing a stroke can be and their motivation to get better.

As for the general intensive care unit (GICU), similarly, I enjoyed chatting to patients and doing activities. This included things like board games, reading magazines or papers or watching BBC news. Looking at family photo albums really helped one patient to engage and orientate. It was great to do activities on behalf of the therapy team which can be very useful for the patients.

I remember doing a Christmas quiz together with a number of patients - seeing them engage and seeing how such support works, which was really nice. It was good to do crosswords with some of our older patients, to help keep brains active.

Why did you want to volunteer at the NHS/UHS specifically and what do you love about the NHS?

I like the offer a variety of different volunteering experiences in different wards. You will always find an area of interest. I also liked the support and communication from the GICU therapy team who guided me on which patients would most benefit from engagement.

I was aware how stretched the NHS is but overall, it is a good organisation. It’s a prestigious organisation that people can trust in. No matter if I am volunteer or student, people are always keen to get my feedback on how to improve our services.

What do you love about volunteering? What do you get out of it?

Mostly, I developed as a communicator. In the stroke ward, patients sometimes feel they can do nothing after a stroke. I learned how to chat with patients, to empathise with them and to actively listen to them – you can really see that it helps them feel better. It makes them feel more motivated.

I developed as a therapist in my capacity as an occupational therapy student.

What achievements are you particularly proud of in your volunteer role?

It can empower the patients and contribute to their mental wellbeing. It’s empowered me to be a good volunteer and a better therapist.

It’s been enlightening to see how powerful the role of a volunteer can be on a ward. It can be an undervalued role, but it is a very important one. I can confidently advocate the role of the volunteer and how important chatting to a patient can be for the patient experience. It also gives you a chance to learn if you have no hospital experience.

I am grateful to the Trust for giving me this opportunity and for playing this part in my journey to becoming a medical professional.

For more information on volunteer vacancies, visit get involved or call 023 8120 4688.