Julie’s volunteering story
"My name is Julie, I am 54 years old and I have worked for many years within Health and Social Care. I started off working for a care agency when my children were small as I could only work when they were at school. I then moved on to work in sheltered housing as a resident senior carer; this is where I gained my NVQ level 2 in Health and Social Care.
"More recently I have worked as a Health Care Assistant for 3 years in a rehab Hospital for Ealing NHS trust and here I gained my NVQ level 3 in Health and Social Care. Moving up the career ladder I managed to get a job as a Health Care Assistant working for CLCH in Queens Park district nursing team, I worked there for three years in the community and gained many new skills such as dressing wounds and phlebotomy.
"I left the district nursing team to start a business which didn’t quite work out long term so I then took a year out to pursue a hobby. Getting back into work seemed harder than I expected but for the past year I have been working as a private carer for an elderly lady four days a week. I had been thinking how I would very much like to work in a hospice, but didn’t have experience of a hospice environment, I thought it would be a good idea to try volunteering on my day off, something I had never done before.
"I have been volunteering in the Pembridge Unit for about two months now; I work from 9.00am until 1.00pm once a week. I am still getting used to the new role and finding my feet and where I can fit into the team to be of the most help and also where I can gain the most experience and job satisfaction. The volunteer manager is helping me with this.
"I have enjoyed talking to patients, assisting the housekeeper and planting up tubs and pots outside in the patient’s garden area. I would say if anyone is thinking of volunteering then you should try it, you have nothing to lose and a whole lot of experience to gain."
For more information about opportunities currently available at our Pembridge Hospice, view our latest opportunities or contact the team’s volunteer manager.