|
|
|
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
|
|
Kindness - Free of Charge Our freelancer wrote this article as a tribute to the ladies from the WRVS Shops around the country who have made lives for many junior doctors ( including myself) bearable. When you are down and feeling troubled as a doctor or a patient, there is something uplifting about the smile of a kind elderly lady who packs your sandwiches and sends you on your way to another oncall. Often these tiny shops hidden in the depths of the NHS go unnoticed. Kindness in an environment which can sometimes be very clinical and cold is much appreciated by many of us. We hope you enjoy this article which explains the role of the WRVS within the National Health Service.
Members also staffed hostels, clubs, sick bays and communal feeding centres called 'British Restaurants'. They opened clubs for bored mothers, provided transport for hospital patients and undertook welfare work, such as distributing 45,000,000 ration books, and even darning socks. for the troops. By 1942, the WVS had enrolled its millionth member. The war had finally ended by September 1945, and the WVS had proved itself to be a rock in a shaky society, with a 'tea and comfort image' and a reputation of never saying 'no' to anything asked of them. A total of 241 members had died on duty, during the war, and the Home Office announced that WVS should continue for 'possibly two years' more. In 1946, they set up Darby & Joan Clubs for older people, and Residential Clubs for those of limited means, and in 1947, the 'Meals on Wheels' service was officially launched, in Welwyn Garden City. WVS was also asked to take on prison welfare, helping borstal institutions with handicrafts, canteens and finding the youngsters accommodation after they had left. The NHS came into being into 1948, and many believed that there would no longer be a need for hospital volunteers, but it was soon clear that this was not the case. The WVS extended its services in hospitals to include making and mending clothes, to helping the nurses, and running the popular trolley shops. Those extra 'two years' simply kept on getting extended, as the WVS proved its value time and time again in providing voluntary help during times of crisis. It was 1966, when Queen Elizabeth II bestowed the 'Royal' on the organisation's name, and few can have deserved the honour more. In the late 1960's, a survey of WRVS work showed continuing growth in work for older people, as Meals on Wheels was in greater demand than ever, and new Lunch Clubs were started. Holidays were arranged for children and mothers in need of a rest. Clothing was provided for nearly quarter of a million people recommended by the Welfare Authorities. Auxiliary non-nursing work was being done in 1,328 hospitals, and members helped in clinics, outpatients departments and mental hospitals. The Hospital Car Service carried 311,487 patients 3,270,860 miles. Housing schemes flourished, and four houses were operated for ex-borstal boys. In 1988/89 the WRVS celebrated 50 years in existence, and there were still over 160,000 members regularly volunteering in various capacities, giving, for instance, assistance to victims and their families at the Lockerbie and Kegworth air crashes, the Piper Alpha oil rig disaster and the Hillsborough football tragedy. 1992 saw the 50th anniversary of Meals on Wheels, and in that year 15million meals were delivered to those in need. In 2001, WRVS hospital services opened its largest shop in East Kilbride, Scotland, at Hairmyres Hospital, whilst emergency services were kept busy up and down the country. The autumn floods, and the foot and mouth outbreak were real national emergencies. The WRVS was there always, helping out, and in 2002, their trustees agreed a new mission for the organization - 'to help people maintain independence and dignity in their homes and communities, particularly in later life'. The breadth and depth of this organization's involvement in public life is truly breathtaking. Today, 65 years after they were 'temporarily' set up, they work in around 450 hospitals, providing services that might not otherwise be available to patients, visitors and staff alike. They run reception and guiding services - friendly faces who can give directions - run shops that sell everything from toiletries to refreshments, and even provide trolley services to wards, as well as running cafes that offer welcome breaks from the daily toil. On top of that, profits raised are donated back to the hospital, for the purchase of equipment or facilities. In 2000/2001 £4.5 million was gifted back to hospitals and community. WRVS members are trained in retail skills like using the till, ordering stock and safe food handling and offer a friendly face, in any one of the 581 shops, cafes, tea bars and coffee shops that they operate around the country. A typical, current example of the generosity of these volunteers is the £10,000 donation made to the 'Lancashire Evening Telegraph' Magic Eye Cancer Scanner Appeal, by WRVS members based at Blackburn Royal Infirmary. Maud Mason is the lady who runs an army of 52 volunteers, who between them operate a tea bar and trolley service at the hospital, and she said the donation was particularly important to her as she had lost two husbands to cancer. "My first husband died of cancer in his gall bladder and had to go to Manchester for treatment. "Then my second husband died of lung cancer. It is a terrible disease." She added: "We have a wonderful set of volunteers and they are all very dedicated. Obviously, we have grown over the years and we try to raise money for the extra things for patients. This year we have bought three computers, a wheelchair for general use and a wheelchair for children who have had hip operations." Receiving the donation an appeal organiser said: "This represents day-by-day, hour-by-hour, five-days-a-week commitment throughout the year from I think 50-odd volunteers providing this wonderful service in such a traditional way. It is wonderful that the WRVS have helped to start the appeal." This is but one story among countless others, highlighting the wonderful generosity of these friendly voluntary workers who are the backbone of the WRVS, one of the UK's largest voluntary services, with over 100,000 volunteers, including 13,000 men, who give their time to help others. Their rapid response teams are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. WRVS is funded through payment for the services they deliver (eg, Meals on Wheels), a government grant to promote volunteering, and fundraising campaigns, legacies and other donations, but the demand or their services is constantly growing. They still perform a vital service today, when you consider these alarming statistics. 1 - Half of all pensioner households depend on state benefits for at
least 75 per cent of their income. It cannot be overstated just how much this service means to those who gratefully make use of it, in whatever capacity they need. Whether it be the confused hospital visitor, the harried doctor in need of a brew, the OAP looking forward to that next Meals on Wheels delivery or the lone parent in need of advice, they will always find a smiling face and a sympathetic ear from the WRVS. In an age where concern for others seems, in many ways, to be a secondary consideration for most people, it is good to know that we can still rely on these volunteers for a sip of the milk of human kindness. They may well work in the background, unseen by most of us, but their work is truly invaluable. Long may they continue, those unsung heroines and heroes who make such an important contribution to all our lives. RESOURCES WRVS Website
|
|
|
|
|
[Home] [NHS Exposed] [Patients] [Health Workers] [NHS in Crisis] [Legal Issues] [Media] [Helpdesk] [Public Views] All copyright remains with original authors unless otherwise stated. |
If
you are a hospital patient, an elderly person living alone, or simply
someone in need of a comforting shoulder, it is very easy to feel
isolated from the world in general. We seem to live in an indifferent
society today, and kindness is a rare and precious thing.
Hospitals,
especially, are often large and intimidating places, and it can be
very frustrating for patients who rely on visitors to bring the things
they need. Thankfully, there is a 65 year-old organisation that
provides a shining light in the darkness of these lonely scenarios.
They are an example to us all of just how generous the human spirit
can be.
Even
the hospital doctors have reason to be grateful to the selfless
people, mainly women, who so willingly and unselfishly give of their
time, to help others. Doctors work long hours, under extreme pressure,
in the average hospital, and these generous ladies help to provide
welcome respite from those pressures.
Not
that this was ever the original intention, back in 1938. The then Home
Secretary, Sir Samuel Hoare, wanted of set up a women's organisation
to help with the task of warning against air attacks, and on 16 May
the Women's Voluntary Service for Air Raid Precautions was founded.
This organisation had to be national, not knowing just where bombs
might fall, but everyone was amazed by the response.
By
the outbreak of war, they had 165,000 volunteer members, and the
nature of their work began to change so much that the name of the
organization was soon altered, to WVS for Civil Defence. They helped
evacuate one and a half million mothers and children from the big
cities to the country, 30,000 little children in just two years. One
WVS member traveled 126,490 miles in three years and escorted 2,526
children under five.