When people with life-limiting conditions are admitted to The Princess Alexandra Hospital, our Palliative Care Team work closely with them, their families and clinical colleagues with symptom and pain management.
Our chaplaincy team can be called upon for spiritual support if needed and our lovely team of Butterfly Volunteers give up their own time to simply spend time with those in need of company.
As the Butterfly Volunteer co-ordinator, I work closely with our ward managers and other clinical teams to understand the level of support patients and their families may need.
Sometimes the Butterfly Volunteers spend time with patients to give their loved ones some private time to process what is happening. They may even organise for music to be played, or to read something of their choosing.
We also welcome families to make use of our Butterfly Hub, a space that enables them to have time in private, to simply be together, especially if visitor numbers at the bedside need to be limited.
Using some of the generous donations given to The Princess Alexandra Hospital Charity, the Butterfly Volunteers also make up care packs for patients and their loved ones that suddenly find themselves staying in the hospital at short notice overnight.
The packs contain items such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, packs of mints, paper, pen and a comb to tidy their hair.
Our Butterfly Volunteers give up their own time to support people when they are most in need and we cannot thank them enough for all they do to support patients in our care here at The Princess Alexandra Hospital.
If anyone would like to support projects that make a make a meaningful difference to patients and families, please make a donation by visiting: justgiving.com/charity/pahnhs or by scanning the JustGiving QR code.
To make a donation specifically for the Butterfly Volunteers service please add “Butterfly Service” in the message section under your details.
To find out more about The Princess Alexandra Hospital Charity, and other ways to get involved, please visit: pah.nhs.uk/charity
- Nicki Harris is the Butterfly Volunteer co-ordinator at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust.
