- Volunteers responding to an emergency situation
- Volunteers in an independent hospital setting
Background
Mildmay Mission Hospital opened in 1987 in Shoreditch, London as the first HIV/AIDS hospice in Europe. It is nowan independent charitable hospital, predominantly funded by NHS contracts which are negotiated annually, but over twenty percent of the money required to care for patients has to come from fundraising, for example, through donations on World AIDS Day.
The hospital has 33 beds and patients are referred to the hospital by HIV Clinical Nurse Specialists, (CNSs), who are responsible for allocating NHS funding for HIV. The patients are at most stages of HIV, but due to the emergence of combined/’triple’ therapy in 1996, the hospital now focuses less on palliative care and more on enabling patients, (often with HIV-Related Brain Impairment, [HRBI]), to make the transition from hospital to community living. Prior to Combination Therapy there were around 120 deaths a year (and 3 memorial services to reflect this), whereas the number of patients dying in the hospital has now dropped to around 5 a year.
Staff and volunteers have consequently adapted their work styles accordingly, with greater emphasis now being placed on equipping patients with the skills to do things for themselves (e.g. making their own cups of tea), rather than providing tea and sympathy, as was historically the case. Although there is still a place for compassion and caring, even in a rehabilitative setting.
Recruitment
There are currently around 40 volunteers deployed at Mildmay. The majority of these are recruited by word-of-mouth, direct enquiries (via phone and the Internet), through Hackney Agency for Volunteering and occasionally via adverts in the Gay press or the Guardian newspaper. The demography of the volunteers is reflective of the diverse nature of the hospital. Mildmay is a Christian-based organisation (a group of Baptists were involved in the fight to re-open Mildmay Mission Hospital, closed down in the early Eighties, as an HIV hospice). So not only does the volunteering appeal to potential volunteers on a religious level, but also attracts a number of Gay and lesbian people, as well as Afro-Caribbean people who have an interest in HIV/AIDS through indirect and direct experience. Such diversity can bring its own problems, but the Volunteer Co-ordinator is careful to select volunteers who can work in a multi-cultural, multi-denominational environment, though some sectors of the local community are still under-represented (e.g. the Asian community). Volunteers range in age from 17 to 70+ years old and there is a 50/50 gender split. A number of the volunteers, like a few of the staff are HIV+ themselves.
Training
Potential volunteers are selected by the Volunteer Co-ordinator after two informal chats where they are expected to demonstrate a commitment to the hospital and patients and an understanding of the issues affecting people living with HIV. After Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks, they undergo a three-month probationary period.
Induction training is given around issues, such as confidentiality and boundaries. Some volunteers go on to give HIV-awareness talks in and out of the hospital themselves. In order to facilitate good working relationships among staff and volunteers the Volunteer Co-ordinator talks to all nursing staff on the staff induction days, and then on a regular basis, to ensure that both staff and volunteers are happy with any ward-based placements. Although numbers of volunteers are relatively small, in comparison with an NHS hospital, for instance, the hospital benefits from having volunteers with the right skills and attributes. Ongoing training programmes are non-prescriptive. A training programme is developed annually but much of the training is topic-based, with volunteers able to request training they would like.
Further training and employment
As well as volunteers from all over London, the hospital also does outreach work, with students from the Czech Republic and Germany working in the wards. There is also currently one Nigerian woman on placement. Mildmay also works closely with Tower Hamlets and Hackney Colleges, offering placements for students who want to work in the health field. Several volunteers have become healthcare assistants, or have undertaken nurse training and recently 4 volunteers have begun studying at Kings College Post-Graduate Medical School; these now busy ex-volunteers put their success at the interviews partly down to the experience and knowledge gained as volunteers.
Responding to an emergency situation – London bombing
Following the July 7th bombings in London, there were 4 unexploded or partially exploded devices on public transport 2 weeks later. One of the incidents, involving a device that partially exploded blowing out the windows of a double decker bus, took place virtually opposite Mildmay Hospital. On both Thursdays, there was, understandably, general fear and panic amongst those in the local area, and staff at Mildmay had to mobilise quickly to deal with any police requests, for example, to prepare the first aid kits in case the hospital was needed for possible casualties.
Despite the chaos, all the volunteers who were due to come in to the hospital on both days were either already on duty or managed to find a route in. Those in the hospital helped to keep patients calm. A number of patients, were curious about the incident, and wanted to watch the news on the TV, but volunteers moved patients away from windows and kept them amused by playing games. A number of patients, affected by HRBI, were confused and distressed by the events unfolding around them and on the TV and the volunteers were especially valuable in this situation.
Other volunteers were out with patients attending Outpatient Appointments, and had to use their initiative to get patients back to the hospital (as some areas have been cordoned off and some taxis either couldn’t get through or were unwilling to enter the area).
One volunteer who was collecting Combination Therapy drugs from Newham General Hospital on the day of the number 26 bus incident was prevented continuing his journey back on the Underground and walked miles back the hospital to ensure the patient received his medication.
As a result of the London bombings, Mildmay Hospital is now re-examining its emergency plan with the help of its volunteers and Volunteer Co-ordinator. More checks will be made on the whereabouts of volunteers at any given time, and more risk assessments will be made, covering issues such as ensuring volunteers carrying water, biscuits and enough money should they need to call hospital staff (as mobile phone networks were inaccessible on those days), or should they need to find alternative transport back. Volunteers are now also be encouraged to ensure that not only do they always carry a mobile phone, but that it contains all necessary numbers and also the ICE, (In Case of Emergency), numbers, as now recommended by the Emergency Services, following the first wave of London bombings.
Staff at the hospital cannot praise highly enough the level of commitment shown by the volunteers at all times, but particularly in this emergency situation where they all acted in the patients’ benefit, despite concerns for themselves and their own families and friends.
For further information, please contact:
Voluntary Services Organiser
Mildmay Hospital
Hackney Road
Shoreditch
London E2 7NA
Tel: 020 7613 6300
