June 2007

Royal Melbourne service with a smile

A volunteer guide service is providing a friendly welcome for patients and visitors at The Royal Melbourne Hospital.

The service is the brainchild of dedicated volunteer Barbara Haynes whose vision was to make hospital visits easier for patients and visitors.

‘I was thrilled to get this project off the ground,’ Barbara said.

‘I have spent a lot of time in hospitals over the years—as a patient, a visitor and a volunteer—and I understand that it can be a very frightening experience.

‘The simple act of greeting people who come into the hospital makes an enormous difference to the atmosphere and can make the experience less overwhelming for visitors.’

Stationed at the main entrance of Royal Melbourne Hospital City Campus on weekdays, the volunteer guides greet patients and visitors as they arrive, direct them to where they need to go and provide an escort to the wards and clinics. 

The need for the guide service has become all the more important with the ongoing construction occuring within and around the hospital.

‘This service will develop the feeling of community inside the hospital and it will also improve efficiency by helping people find their way to where they need to be,’ Barbara said.

•             For more information telephone Sue on 9342 7044 or email volunteers@mh.org.au.