“It is very important that the first impressions for patients and their families of the hospital are of a friendly, welcoming and reassuring nature. The volunteer service is invaluable in this regard and as Director of Nursing and Midwifery for Galway University Hospitals, I would like to thank them most sincerely for their dedication and wonderful work in supporting our patients and visitors. They provide an extremely valuable service and for that we are most grateful.” Eleanor Finn says of her experience as a volunteer, “With retirement looming and a desire to become involved in community work, I was fortunate to join the Galway University Hospitals Volunteer Programme. I register my time and day of choice and partake on a weekly basis, operating from the main reception and outpatients. We take patients and those accompanying them to whatever area in the hospital complex they request. As many travel distances from Donegal, Sligo or Mayo, we deal with queries as varied as where to pay car park fees, to suggesting a place to lunch and general local queries. “As we move around the hospital we assist people with directions from as simple as the ‘exit’ or the ‘coffee shop’, or


i would like to thank them most sincerely for their dedication and wonderful work in supporting our patients and visitors. they provide an extremely valuable service and for that we are most grateful.”


perhaps fetch a snack for the person who is too exhausted to fetch it for themselves. In one instance recently, I helped a person locate their car which they had parked at a rear entrance and could not remember the entrance they had used to bring a patient to an appointment. “For me there is a feel-good factor in being part of a team that can take an often anxious person directly to their destination


+ In the foyer of university Hospital galway, (l-R): Ann O’Toole, Volunteer; Christy O’Hara, HR Manager; Mary McHugh, Director of Nursing and Midwifery; Pat Commins A/General Manager; Noel Reid, Volunteer; Phil Whyte, Volunteer Co-ordinator; and Michelle Guthrie, Volunteer.


within the vast hospital complex. It is a privilege to have been accepted as a volunteer and I would recommend it to others as a fulfilling experience.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124