Hywel Dda NHS Trust is to develop new and exciting volunteer opportunities to support the health service in Mid and South West Wales, thanks to a cash boost from the Big Lottery Fund,
The trust has successfully bid for £384,045 from the fund in order to establish a three-year project called Volunteering for Health.
The project has been developed in partnership with local volunteer centres, Ceredigion Association of Voluntary Organisations, Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services, Carmarthenshire Association of Voluntary Services, West Wales Action for Mental Health and the three Local Health Boards, and will cover all health services across the three counties of Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire.
The University of Wales Lampeter is a partner in the project and will be evaluating the project through their Centre for Volunteer Studies.
Volunteering has a long history in the NHS and this project will work with and support existing volunteers through the employment of three project workers.
It will develop new and exciting volunteering opportunities in hospitals and the community, including within mental health and learning disability services, as well as strengthen existing partnerships between the NHS and the voluntary sector.
Director of nursing and quality, Caroline Oakley, said: "I am delighted about the opportunities this funding from the Big Lottery will offer us.
"Volunteers make a significant difference to patient care and this project will help strengthen and further develop health services in the region."
Evidence shows that people who volunteer or are helped by volunteers can cope better with their own ill health and have greater confidence and self-esteem.
Anna Tee, project lead and patient experience facilitator at the trust, explained: "The Volunteering for Health project will improve the experience that patients have of healthcare through providing additional support.
"It will improve the experience and opportunities for people wanting to volunteer in the NHS, as well as create opportunities for people wanting to develop skills through improvements in work experience.
"This project would not have been possible without the hard work and commitment of our partner organisations and we look forward to working in closely with them over the next few years."