NHS Lanarkshire

NHS Lanarkshire has received the Investing in Volunteers (IiV) UK award – a prestigious accreditation mark for excellence in volunteering.

The award recognises commitment to high quality volunteer involvement and aims to make “a good organisation even better.”

Katrina Murray, voluntary services manager, said “We are delighted to receive this award and can only hope to build on the great work we have achieved already.

“The role that volunteers play within NHS Lanarkshire is vital. We have more than 400 volunteers and we are keen to ensure that they find their volunteering experience rewarding.

“This award recognises that Lanarkshire has an excellent volunteering programme which benefits both our patients and volunteers.”

The IiV standard contains 10 different indicators covering the four main areas of volunteer management, which include:

- Planning for volunteer involvement
- Recruiting volunteers
- Selecting and matching volunteers
- Supporting and retaining volunteers

To obtain the award, representatives from Volunteer Development Scotland visited NHS lanarkshire over an eight day period and met with both staff and volunteers.

Volunteers were very positive about their training and experiences.

Feedback from interviews with staff also showed that NHS Lanarkshire excelled in many areas of the standard, including having proper procedures in place to support them and their volunteers.

Some volunteering roles within NHS Lanarkshire include:

- Day hospice volunteer – Kilbryde Hospice
- Mealtime volunteers – Wishaw General Hospital
- Maternity ward volunteer – Wishaw General Hospital
- Hand hygiene volunteer – Monklands Hospital
- Stop smoking volunteer – Monklands Hospital
- Chaplaincy volunteer - Hairmyres Hospital
- Volunteer visitor - Lockhart Hospital

For more information on volunteering with NHS Lanarkshire please contact Katrina Murray, voluntary services manager, on 01236 707796.