Millions of volunteers at GP surgeries and hospitals provide an invaluable service to patients and help ease pressure on staff
“I saw one gentleman about 18 months ago, only on one occasion. About a year later, he saw me in a shop and said I was the little lady – I’m 4ft 10in – who had listened to him in the doctor’s surgery. He said it had changed his life.”
Pauline Nixon, the woman in question, is not a doctor, a nurse or any other NHS professional. She is one of two volunteers who give up their time to talk with patients at a GP practice in Lancashire, discussing everything from dealing with bereavement or the stress of caring for a loved one to being diagnosed with cancer. “People often can’t talk to relatives or friends because they don’t want to upset them, and GPs only have 10 minutes,” she says.
Continue reading...from Voluntary Sector Network | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2IQrpz1
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