Also in June:
17 June 2010
NHSG/86/10
The enormous commitment of volunteers working with patents at the City Hospital, Woodend Hospital and Roxburghe House in Aberdeen was last night recognised at a ceremony hosted by NHS Grampian.
Chief Executive Richard Carey welcomed around 130 volunteers to the 'thank you' event.
Among the longest serving volunteers were Dorothy Fraser and Kathleen Simpson from Aberdeen who have 20 years service at Woodend, and Moira Franklin, from Aberdeen, who has supported patients at Roxburghe House for 33 years.
Young volunteers were also recognised. The Millenium Volunteer Award, for 16 - 25 year olds, was presented to Roma Yeats from Westhill.
Richard Carey said: "There is much to celebrate about volunteering in NHS Grampian. Every day of every year many volunteers make valuable contributions to improving the experience of patients. They are active in many different healthcare settings, including hospitals and they perform an astonishing variety of roles. We do recognise the immense value volunteers bring.
"We live in challenging times - funding issues, pressures on the public sector, not enough money to do all the things we want to do...But really what we are about is people - staff and volunteers working together. It's very simple really. Volunteers bring something that staff cannot always bring - they bring time - to talk, to listen, to share a kind word, to undertake a practical task - and when those professionals and those volunteers work closely together, you see the most amazing relationships flourish and often see the most successful services develop.
"Lots of people have said one of the reasons they are happy that volunteers are working with them is because they think that the person working with them wants to, and not because they are paid to do it. And however wonderful they think staff are - the idea that a volunteer is giving up their time changes the feel of the relationship."
Mr Carey also paid tribute to the voluntary service managers Fiona Thomson and Mandy Urquhart who co-ordinate the efforts of the volunteers.
He said: "Volunteers need to be looked after too. Volunteers need to be trained, to be supported, to have a proper induction into NHS Grampian and to have a point of contact - someone who they can ask or refer back to. The role of people like Fiona and Mandy and people like them is very important and we are committed as an organisation to embed the type of support they provide across Grampian."