When patients arrive at Darent Valley Hospital by ambulance, they’re often anxious, lonely and sometimes confused, particularly when they are on their own.
What is a Caring Companion?
A Caring Companion is a volunteer who provides increased social care for patients in Accident and Emergency areas.
What Caring Companions do for patients?
A Caring Companions role is to provide patient support, giving quality time, comfort and company to patients, offering reassurance, compassion and social interaction. This could be simply holding hands or by giving them a drink.
Where will you be volunteering?
Our Caring Companion Team will help in the emergency areas which includes Accident & Emergency, Cypress Unit, Medical Short Stay, the Acute Medical Unit and the Ambulatory Discharge Lounge.
Caring Companions training will include;
Making sure our Caring Companion Team have the tools to provide this service, we will provide basic training for working in a ward environment, including nutrition, hydration and infection control to ensure patient and volunteer safety. We will also make sure that all volunteers are introduced to staff in the emergency areas and supported through the whole process.
If you would like to join our Caring Companion Team please email Lindsey.Nash1@nhs.net, call 01322 428100 (ext 6771) or complete the form below.