Rampton Hospital
Befriending Service
The Rampton Hospital League of Friends was formed in 1963 with the support of the Chaplaincy Office at Rampton Hospital. Rampton Hospital, a high-security facility, has approximately 320 patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. The League of Friends with 60 volunteers supports the patients and staff at the hospital by providing a befriending service, sending birthday and christmas cards and music therapy.
The Friends' chairman of 15 years, Glenys Herbert, began a befriending scheme 10 years ago to get volunteers to meet and form a friendship with some of the male patients of the hospital. Glenys had discovered that some patients suffering with mental health problems did not get any visits other than from staff. The average stay for a patient was 7-8 years. Concerned that these patients did not have access to family or someone they could call "a friend", Glenys decided this project would be very worthwhile.
The biggest obstacles to this project were convincing the hospital that the scheme would be beneficial, and managing the process of recruiting and training volunteers to help out in this environment. The process of matching patients to volunteers is very sensitive and must be carefully handled. The volunteers have to be very aware of the needs of the patients. One volunteer travelled a a distance to meet their friend only to be told to go away (in no uncertain terms).
The volunteers for this program have a criminal records check, and have three days of training. They meet with the co-ordinators once every three visits, and are invited to training sessions to be brought up to date with changes in the hospital. Volunteers come from across the East Midlands.
The National Association of Hospital & Community Friends gave the Rampton Hospital an Opportunities for Volunteering grant to fund a part-time organiser to manage the scheme. When funding ended for this post, the hospital hired the organiser to continue her work with the befriending scheme. The NAHCF was then able to provide funding for a second organiser to work in parallel.
The League has also been successful in getting younger volunteers and on one induction the initially nervous group of students were befriended by the patients putting them completely at ease! The group was given a Sappire Award five years ago for the difference it is making. The chair has also recently received an Order of Mercy in 2005 for her voluntary work.
The program has expanded such that these visits are part of many patients' care plans. The League are now also befriending the female patients of the hospital and patients from the deaf unit, bringing a whole new dimension to the group.
Contact details
Val Strawson, Organizer
Valerie.Strawson@nottshc.nhs.uk
01777 248321
Rampton Hospital Befriending Scheme Website