Entertainment Coordinator Volunteer Role
International food day at Bolton dialysis unit
Two months on from World Kidney Day and I am delighted to say we are moving forward with our projects to improve the experience of people with kidney disease cared for by Salford Royal. One of the key things we are keen on is working as closely as possible with our patients and their friends/relatives. In doing so, we are recognising kidney patients and families are the real experts in living with kidney disease. “Dialysis is boring” – that’s what we hear! So we want patients and their relatives to help improve the experience of patients whilst they are on (and off!) dialysis. So this is why I’m pleased to announce our ‘Entertainment Coordinator’ volunteer role.
In 2013, we embarked on an improvement year within which we encouraged dialysis units to locally organise events for patients. Many fantastic events were put on for patients including day trips out to Cadbury World, boat trips, culture days to celebrate the diversity of our kidney patients, and Christmas celebrations. You can find some of the pictures here on our Facebook page. These events provided a welcome break to patients on dialysis, enabled the sharing of cultures, improved relations between patients and staff as well as between patients, and importantly – they were fun! We want to kick-start these brilliant events again, reinvigorate the enthusiasm behind them, and improve the time that patients spend on dialysis.
The Entertainment Coordinator volunteer role is a fantastic opportunity for kidney patients and their relatives to get involved, be creative, and organise events for dialysis patients across any of our dialysis units. It is a flexible role that can have a huge impact on the experience of patients and their families. Check out the role advertisement here where you can find out more about this opportunity.
If you want to know more about the role, please feel free to contact Robert Ward at robert.ward@srft.nhs.uk or Janet Hegarty at janet.hegarty@srft.nhs.uk.