Jaime is a hands-face-space volunteer at East Surrey Hospital, where you can either find her at the front or East entrance. She encourages those attending the hospital to comply with our most up-to-date visiting regulations and helps keep everybody safe by asking them to use the hand sanitiser and put on the masks provided, unless they are exempt.
Jaime started volunteering through Voluntary Action Reigate and Banstead (VARB) in September 2021, around 18 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, when she had some spare time in between her studies. Although volunteering didn’t seem like the obvious way to get work experience at first, he’s enjoyed the convenience of doing a handful of hours every now and then - usually four or five a week, or every other week if that suits her better - and she hopes it will make a positive addition to her CV and applications to universities.
Jaime really enjoys the social element that volunteering at SASH brings. As a member of the student union at her college, socialising is also a big part of her life away from the hospital. In the six months since he’s been supporting us at SASH, he’s got to know the friendly security staff, the attentive receptionists and the thousands of patients, family members and members of staff who come through the hospital doors every day.
The volunteering role is second nature to Jaime, thanks to her excellent people management skills and compassionate nature. She said:
“You have some people who don’t really want to follow the rules. You get some people who thank you as they leave the door. Everyone at the hospital is dealing with a lot of stuff and you have to take it easy on people. You get to see a lot of different life stages.”
If you would like to find out more please email volunteer@varb.org.uk or visit the VARB website to see the current vacancies.
Take a look at the latest guidance on visiting SASH services.
