Priscilla joined CNWL as a volunteer earlier this year, in February. Since then, she has played a valuable
role in supporting our Equality Diversity and Inclusion team and representing the Volunteer Team in events and awareness raising initiatives, as an Event’s Support Volunteer. Since joining the team, Priscilla says:
"I wish to express my gratitude for the opportunity to support the Volunteer team.. When I set out to volunteer, it was about giving my time - to serve, support, and make an impact. I underestimated the effect and benefit this will have on me. Attending these events has given me a great insight about CNWL’s various services and networks, and how staff members are supported and appreciated. Above all, it has opened my eyes and mind to the endless opportunities for personal and professional developments, and I am more than happy that I signed up for volunteering. I have benefited more than I have given.”
Q: What made you want to volunteer at CNWL?
A: I was receiving group therapy at the Trust and towards the end of the therapy, the team suggested that I try volunteering. They told me about an opportunity at the Recovery and Well-Being College in Milton Keynes.
I was feeling pretty good after the therapy and wanted to try and get back into the working world after a long break. I wanted to learn skills in a flexible way that wouldn’t risk my recovery, and started volunteering in May 2023.
Q: What sorts of things are you doing as a volunteer?
A: When I started, it was little administrative tasks, trying to find the best fit for me. I settled working on a quality improvement project, which I’ve been doing for nearly four months. I have coaching and training and that's building up a skillset which is great, I really enjoy it. It's nice to be a part of a team.
The Recovery College is an educational service, we're not clinical or therapeutic. We provide workshops and courses on mental health topics, well-being and life skills, such as understanding depression, hoarding, hearing voices, complex emotional needs. Anyone is welcome to come along to try to get a better understanding of mental health issues. They do a fantastic job of involving everybody and getting group discussions going within a safe space. We have cooking classes, art for health, music sessions, that kind of thing. It's also community-building; we get like-minded people together, and somebody with lived experience works alongside the clinical trainer to deliver courses, which offers the opportunity to volunteer or even get paid in that role.
I also interact with service users or students; we call them students in the Recovery College. I try to integrate their feedback into our quality improvement work, and implement changes to make sure they have the best experience. Our main aim is to increase attendance at our courses and workshops, and we are doing well with this.
I am going to be doing some bank work from January to cover some of the receptionist roles, so I will be getting paid which is fantastic. I've also gotten my National Volunteer Certificate.
Q: What do you get out of volunteering?
A: It's a sense of purpose. I'm happy with what I'm doing, and having that excitement in a job is rare. I feel like I'm giving back in a way, because I've been suffering from mental health issues since I was 13; I'm now 30 years old.
I'm having a life and reconnecting with old friends and that's all from volunteering, giving me the confidence to go out there and talk to people again. The role fits into my life so well it's like the missing jigsaw puzzle piece.
Hello all! To share a little bit about myself with you, my name is Milena, I’m a psychology graduate from Argentina and I started volunteering for CNWL in May of 2023.
I always wanted to volunteer, to give back and bring something of my own to the community and, without knowing beforehand, CNWL turned out to be a perfect place for it. I find that being part of CNWL as a volunteer carries a variety of meaningful experiences that have an impact on both the patients and us.
It is a role that brings a special feeling when a patient I have engaged with smiles at me as I walk through, it means meeting someone who values our time together, it involves listening to a new story, having meaningful or deep conversations, sharing pain and laughter, showing empathy, and making someone feel understood. It also means teamwork, helping and respecting each other and working together to come up with new ideas.
I have felt extremely supported by my team throughout my work as well as in my efforts to grow professionally and personally. Furthermore, even though it requires commitment, it is a flexible role that can fit around other responsibilities with ease.
I believe that I have been getting more than what I was expecting, I have met great people, strongly improved my skills, and gained new ones, built up my confidence, come across great opportunities and am now part of a great community that thrives to grow and deliver the best service possible.
Therefore, I am looking forward to continuing to develop and collect more memorable and fulfilling experiences within this team. To sum up, I can say that my experience as a volunteer has been priceless, enriching and by far absolutely rewarding.
I strongly encourage you to jump at this opportunity because you will share gratifying moments and be able to bring what makes you unique into a striving team.
Hoping that these few words boost your enthusiasm, I am looking forward to seeing you on board!
Lorraine, was the first volunteer to join the service back in May 2022 and has been helping the team for over a year in her role as a Volunteer Assistant. Having worked as part of an Inclusion Team at a school, as a Learning Support Assistant, she wanted to help the therapists in the CITS Team in any capacity she could.
So we caught up with her to find out more about her volunteer experience with CNWL and here’s this is what she said about her volunteer journey so far.
Tell me about your volunteer journey so far?
“I wanted to volunteer with CNWL because I wanted to give support to Occupational Therapists (OT), Physiotherapists (PT) and Speech and Language therapist (SLT), having seen first-hand the support they provide to children and parents in a school setting from my previous employment, and found my interest from there. I have helped the team to make and organise their resource materials, helped families complete surveys, as well as any other tasks that come along the way.”
“I didn’t know what to expect in the role at first, as the role was varied, but I was looking for something slightly different to what I have done before. I do enjoy this role and I feel appreciated by the team for the work I have done. They know I’m here to help in any way.”
What part of volunteering do you enjoy the most?
Whilst the role took some time to get into, due to being new and the first volunteer within the service, it’s been nice to help out and be a part of the team. I enjoy the social interactions and I find everyone friendly and helpful. It’s also nice to have the flexibility in volunteering and work around my personal commitments, which the team are very supportive with.
If you were going to encourage someone else to volunteer in this role or at CNWL, what would you say?
I would definitely recommend this role to people, wanting to work with children, as it gives them an insight and awareness of working with children with special needs. It’s really helped give a broader view of the different needs’ children may have. The tasks are quite varied and you get to see all the different professional roles, as well as the way they all work together.
Volunteering is a nice thing to do. It’s a great way to help and feel part of supporting others, whilst also feeling like you’ve achieved something. To anyone interested in volunteering, I would say, come and try it out to see how you feel. Personally, it’s quite nice to feel valued and be a part of a wider team.
Any final words?
I would also like to thank you to you (CNWL Volunteer Team) for the support I’ve received. It’s great to know you are there if I need any help or support, and that I can always contact you for anything. It’s nice to be part of a volunteering team, and also have contact with other volunteers.
We are always looking for people from across the community to help continue providing care to our services. So if you’d like to join us at CNWL and become a volunteer, please get in touch with us at cnwl.volunteer@nhs.net.
Sumbal applied to volunteer with Central and North West London (CNWL) NHS Trust as an Administrative Support Volunteer at our Northwick Park Mental Health Unit, in the hope of getting some hands-on experience within a healthcare setting and learning new skills.
Since joining the team, she said “I am thoroughly enjoying my time contributing” and expressed that “it has been a rewarding experience thus far”.
Eager to share her experiences and thoughts, she let us in on what a typical day looks like in her volunteer role and how her volunteer experience has been so far.
The day-to-day
As an Admin Support volunteer, there are opportunities to engage with patients and visitors, support the reception area and help the team with generic admin tasks. Sumbal has been able to do exactly this and more as she highlights, “In my role, I welcome staff, patients, and their families, helping with questions and resolving issues. I organise and track documents for staff”, which provides invaluable support in the different wards where needed. Sumbal also shared how her role supports the smooth running of daily operations, stating “I report maintenance issues, create Microsoft Teams links, and handle various tasks using Microsoft Office. Additionally, I assist with letter posting and manage phone calls, reporting jobs as needed. My diverse responsibilities contribute to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the healthcare environment.”
Volunteer experience
Having been with the team for over six months, and completing over 70 hours of volunteering, Sumbal’ standout experience has been “the ongoing opportunity to assist team members from different wards and departments with various tasks. Whether it's helping with administrative duties, organizing events, or resolving issues, it's always rewarding to receive their heartfelt thanks and know that my support makes a difference.”
Being honest with her thoughts about volunteering with CNWL, she states that “Volunteering with CNWL has been a truly rewarding experience. The good aspects include the opportunity to work with a dedicated team, the satisfaction of helping patients and staff, and the chance to develop new skills.” She goes on the say, “I appreciate the supportive environment and the meaningful connections I've made” and is open about the difficulties she has encountered trying to juggle her time: “The only challenge is managing my time between part-time work and studies, and I hate missing my days for volunteering”. But despite this, her “overall experience has been incredibly positive and fulfilling.”
Thinking about volunteering?
People volunteer for many different reasons, and for Sumbal it was an opportunity to gain insight into the NHS and for personal development. It has been a really positive experience for her so far and she continues to provide invaluable support to the team. Her final sentiments for anyone considering volunteering: “my advice is to go for it wholeheartedly and dive in! It's a chance to help others and learn about yourself. Keep an open heart and be ready to lend a hand wherever it's needed. Even small acts of kindness matter. Stick with it, stay kind, and enjoy the journey!”