British Red Cross helps hospital patients from door-to-door

Philip Trimble, an energetic 67- year-old, had been retired for a year when he came across the Red Cross hospital services.
Philip Trimble outside Ulster Hospital where he volunteers with British Red CrossPhilip Trimble outside Ulster Hospital where he volunteers with British Red Cross
Philip Trimble outside Ulster Hospital where he volunteers with British Red Cross

“I’d spent a year doing up my house, had run out of things to renovate, and thought to myself, ‘There’s only so much golf a person can play!’”

Initially employed in a part-time role with the Red Cross at Antrim hospital, he stayed on as a volunteer when funding for that initial contract ran out.

“I was used to being busy as I was a telephony engineer before I retired, so I like being out and about, and there’s a lot of satisfaction when the patients are so clearly happy to be getting out of hospital.”

Philip’s role involves liaising with the nursing staff and being allocated a patient to take home. He spends time making sure the patient is comfortable and understands the process, and that they’ve got everything they need to go home – including their house keys!

“You’d be surprised how many times patients can’t find their keys, which is understandable if they’ve been in hospital for a long time,” he explains.

Philip and the volunteers take the patients and their bags from the hospital ward to their own front door, driving a Red Cross car. The patients must have reasonable mobility and no need of an ambulance transfer.

“It’s a no-brainer, I think. Patients get a personalised service and feel well supported and cared for, and it also saves the hospital trust and the ambulance service time and money. Sometimes a patient might need to use a wheelchair as they’ve lost some muscle strength after their time in hospital, or just feel a bit wobbly, so it all works really well.

“It’s nice to be able to support someone on a one-to-one basis.”

To find out more about independent living volunteering , visit www.redcross.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer

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