A huge “Thank you” to all our volunteers | News

Today is International Volunteers’ Day and an opportunity to say a huge thank you all the volunteers who help us in a number of ways to look after our patients and visitors as well as to advance care through research.

Volunteering to support our staff, patients and visitors

Our team of volunteers support work across a wide range of areas of the hospital from welcoming patients, giving clerical support to helping with our trolley ward rounds. This Autumn our volunteers were instrumental in a new initiative, handing out water to staff to help keep them hydrated.

Chrissie Beard, Voluntary Services Manager, said: “We are extremely grateful to every single one of our volunteers who dedicate their time to make the lives of others better.”

The help given to Royal Surrey Charity this winter by volunteers has meant the return of our Christmas card stand stocking filler gift stall in main reception. They’ve helped run the pop-up stall on a weekly basis, raising several thousand pounds for the hospital already.

Find out more about volunteering with us.

Clinical trial volunteers

Volunteers also play a critical role in our research trials which strive to improve patient care in areas including cancer, surgery, Covid-19 treatments and many others.

“A huge thank you to everyone who has taken part in clinical trials with us. Research is the only way to advance patient care and we couldn’t do it without you,” said Aftab Ala, Director of Research and Innovation.

Sisters Laura and Rebecca volunteered on an ovarian cancer clinical trial at our site. They underwent preventative surgery to remove their breasts, ovaries and fallopian tubes after tests showed that they had the BRCA gene mutation, an inherited genetic condition putting them at an increased risk of cancer. They chose to be part of the National Institute of Health Research-supported PROTECTOR study investigating a new two-step surgical approach to removing the ovaries and fallopian tubes separately. Researchers hope this could offer women the chance to avoid an early menopause and its side effects while still reducing their risk of cancer.

Rebecca said: “I wanted to help other people going through what we were going through. Being part of a study to expand treatment options felt like a good way.”

Laura adds: “I saw PROTECTOR as an opportunity to expand knowledge and potential surgical options for people in my situation, which I felt was particularly important for younger women facing the prospect of an early menopause.”

Read Rebecca and Laura’s story.

Find out more about volunteering to be part of a clinical trial.