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Clinical Educators • Baby Cuddling Volunteer Role

The Trust has agreed to support the development of The purpose of this role is to provide specific one to
the Clinical Educator role at Alder Hey during the year, one support for patients – cradling babies and giving
funding six additional clinical educators to help deliver much needed nurture and support. Research shows
skills based education and training and competency that human contact helps calm babies, particularly
development for clinical staff. An additional Practice those that have serious health issues and aids in
Education Facilitator has also been funded to underpin their early development. Baby cuddlers help lower
the development of pre-registered nursing students in a baby’s stress levels by holding and rocking them
accordance with RCN guidance. To lead this function when nurses are busy and the infant’s parents can’t
a new Head of Nurse Education role has also been make it to the ward. It is reassuring for parents to
agreed which will help to develop the nurse education know that there will be someone with their child whilst
strategy and support the education team to deliver they can’t be there. We now have volunteers placed in
its objectives. This will form a cornerstone of the this role three days per week.
succession plan already developed by the Nursing • Food Trolley Service
Leadership Team.
Feedback received by volunteers undertaking
Ward Accreditation scheme inpatient surveys that many families did not want to
leave their child to go to the restaurant, has resulted
The Ward Accreditation Scheme was developed in in the establishment of a regular service that visits
consultation with Ward Managers, Lead Nurses and each ward between 10.00 and 12.00 daily, providing
Patient Safety Champions and informed by the views sandwiches, drinks and fruit. This has been well-
of children, young people and their parents/carers. The received so far and represents another valuable
accreditation scheme has been named ‘STAR’ (Safe, service that our volunteers provide to families.
Together and Always Right) – ‘A Journey to the Stars’, • Outpatient Arts and Crafts and Reading
by the children and young people who will participate
in the process of accreditation. In 2017/18, the scheme We now have volunteers regularly visiting OPD to
was fully rolled out across the Trust via a programme engage with patients and families who are waiting
encompassing every ward and department on a to be seen in clinic, helping to keep children
systematic basis. distracted and calm before their appointment. For
patients waiting to be seen in Eye Clinic it has been
Volunteering Programme particularly helpful when children have had dilation
drops and can’t see very well to read or play. The
2017 has been another successful year for Alder Hey next phase will see two new mobile book/toy trolleys
Volunteers; the volunteers’ profile has been raised funded by our Charity, to allow this service to expand.
throughout the Trust and in the community during the
past 12 months which has been greatly appreciated by Legal Advice Clinic
every individual who dedicates their time, knowledge
and experience to our children, families and staff. In early 2017, the Trust was approached by the School
Alder Hey continues to sustain over 500 dedicated of Law and Social Justice at the University of Liverpool
volunteers. The various roles undertaken in 2017/18 with a proposal to establish a free legal advice service
have been consistent throughout the year enabling the for parents of children with a disability or illness, to be
services to be maintained to our patients and staff. conveniently located at the hospital site. The proposal
was part of the School’s drive to better meet the needs
This year has seen a dramatic increase in our younger of vulnerable people through partnerships which
generation volunteering who come from various embed their law clinic service in the community and
backgrounds. In total we have recruited over 80 16-18 enable a greater understanding of access to justice
year old students which will rise again in September to needs, so as to inform policy and improve provision.
over 100. This is due to the continued success of the
school and college links that have been developed and Research by the School indicated that parents of
the reputation that Alder Hey has with the universities. children with disabilities can have difficulty accessing
legal advice due to pressure on their time and
The range of tasks undertaken by our volunteers resources and often have a particular range of legal
continues to exceed all of our expectations and is needs. As a complement to the Trust’s own PALS
greatly appreciated by those who benefit from the service, it was happy to support the proposal to run
support that our volunteers provide. Our latest roles a weekly drop-in legal advice service at Alder Hey to
that have been introduced include: assist parents with some or all of the following issues:

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust 34 Annual Report & Accounts 2017/18