We are very excited to present the ‘So Much Gained’ exhibition by the Patient Experience Team Volunteers at the Plaza in University Hospital Llandough. Showcasing artwork created in a variety of mediums, the exhibition highlights the importance of Patient Experience Team Volunteers to Cardiff and Vale Health Board, and celebrates their amazing skills and talents.
Volunteers have been an invaluable part of the Patient Experience team, giving their free time to support the Health Board by providing a friendly welcome to patients and visitors, signposting and helping with general inquiries, amongst other vital elements of their roles. Their help has been especially important since the start of the pandemic, where they quickly adapted to provide support at hospitals and Mass Vaccination Centres, eagerly sharing their kindness and compassion with others.
Thank you to the artists for exhibiting their work, and for their continuous support to the Cardiff and Vale Health Board. They have kindly shared their thoughts and reasons for volunteering which you can read below:
Steve Sims:
I got into volunteering after retiring in late 2020 and wanting to put something back into the community. A friend, who was an ex-nurse, mentioned to me that she had volunteered to be a Covid vaccinator with C&V UHB so I decided to look on the C&V UHB website and see what opportunities there were for non-medically trained people. After going through a thorough training process, I started as a Meet and Greet Volunteer at Llandough Hospital in mid-March and have been volunteering at least once a week for about 3 hours since then.
The purpose of Meet and Greet volunteering is to provide a welcoming presence near to the entrance to the hospital. People visiting the hospital are often quite anxious, particularly with the restrictions due to the pandemic. By being a friendly face at the volunteers desk I can provide reassurance, give directions and answer questions. As people pass the volunteers information desk on their way out of the hospital they often say “Thank you”. It is satisfying to know that you have helped someone make their visit to the hospital easier. Working as a volunteer also gave me some sense of normality from interacting with other people after many months of various types of lockdown.
Sarah Davies:
I started volunteering in the Mass Vaccination Centres in April 2021. I volunteer in Cardiff Bay MVC on a Saturday afternoon as a way of giving back to the NHS and to contribute positively to my local community.
Haydn Canter:
I am a volunteer at Llandough on the Stroke Rehabilitation Centre. I’m also a fellow Stroke survivor. I work with the patients, many of whom have never painted before. After a stroke we are often told what we can’t do. It’s wonderful to see them achieve something they never thought they could do. We often share tears and laughter of joy. That is priceless.
Donna Doherty:
I started volunteering 2½ years ago as a ward befriender, but due to Covid my role changed and I now help out at the Information Centre. I struggle with my mental and physical health and feel that volunteering has helped to keep me focused and build my confidence.
Dean Munro:
I started volunteering for the Health Board during Covid, when there was a call out for volunteers to help in the Staff Haven, on the weekends, supporting with the distribution of the food and beverages to staff that had been donated by local companies. Once this role finished I wanted to continue to support the Health Board, and particularly the Patient Experience Team, but was unable to volunteer in the week due to work. I decided to start raising money to help the Team purchase essential items and activities to improve the experience of patients when they are in hospital. In July 2021 myself, my partner and her brother raised over £500 climbing Ben Nevis and I am currently looking for my next challenge.
Helena Robertson Reid:
I started supporting CAVUHB as a volunteer in 2013. I volunteered for Solace, a service within MHSOP which supports unpaid carers looking after loved ones with a diagnosis of dementia or cognitive impairment. Now I am one of two managers for CAVUHB Voluntary Services and manage hundreds of volunteers and a variety of projects. Starting my journey within CAVUHB as a volunteer has meant I am able to undertake my staff role now with better understanding, insight and enthusiasm, and appreciation for what it takes to be a volunteer.
If you are interested in supporting the Patient Experience Team or would like to know more about volunteering you can find out more at https://cavuhb.nhs.wales/our-services/voluntary-services/
The Volunteer Exhibition will run until the 10th of January.
For more information about the Arts for Health and Wellbeing programme, please visit http://www.cardiffandvale.art and our social media pages on Facebook and Twitter @CAVuhbArts and Instagram @thehearthgallery
If you require further information or to purchase any of the artworks on show, or would like to be included in future exhibitions please contact: Magda.Lackowska@wales.nhs.uk
Mae’n bleser gennym gyflwyno arddangosfa ‘Elwa Cymaint’ gan Wirfoddolwyr Tîm Profiad y Claf yn y Plaza yn Ysbyty Athrofaol Llandochau. Mae’r arddangosfa, sy’n cynnwys gwaith celf mewn amrywiaeth o gyfryngau, yn amlygu pwysigrwydd Gwirfoddolwyr Tîm Profiad y Claf i Fwrdd Iechyd Caerdydd a’r Fro, ac yn dathlu eu sgiliau a’u doniau anhygoel.
Mae gwirfoddolwyr wedi bod yn rhan amhrisiadwy o dîm Profiad y Claf, yn rhoi o’u hamser i gefnogi’r Bwrdd Iechyd trwy ddarparu croeso cyfeillgar i gleifion ac ymwelwyr, cyfeirio a helpu gydag ymholiadau cyffredinol, ymhlith elfennau hanfodol eraill o’u rôl. Mae eu cymorth wedi bod yn arbennig o bwysig ers dechrau’r pandemig, wrth iddynt addasu’n gyflym i ddarparu cefnogaeth mewn ysbytai a Chanolfannau Brechu Torfol, gan rannu eu caredigrwydd a’u tosturi gydag eraill.
Diolch i’r artistiaid am arddangos eu gwaith, ac am eu cefnogaeth barhaus i Fwrdd Iechyd Caerdydd a’r Fro. Yn garedig iawn, maent wedi rhannu eu safbwyntiau a’u rhesymau dros wirfoddoli a gallwch eu darllen isod:
Steve Sims:
Fe wnes i ddechrau gwirfoddoli ar ôl ymddeol ar ddiwedd 2020 ac eisiau rhoi rhywbeth yn ôl i’r gymuned. Fe soniodd ffrind wrtha i, a oedd yn gyn-nyrs, ei bod wedi gwirfoddoli i fod yn frechwr COVID gyda BIPCAF felly fe benderfynais edrych ar wefan BIPCAF a gweld pa gyfleoedd oedd ar gael ar gyfer pobl nad oedd wedi hyfforddi’n feddygol. Ar ôl wynebu proses hyfforddi drwyadl, dechreuais fel Gwirfoddolwr Cwrdd a Chyfarch yn Ysbyty Llandochau yng nghanol mis Mawrth ac rydw i wedi bod yn gwirfoddoli o leiaf unwaith yr wythnos am 3 awr ers hynny.
Diben gwirfoddoli gyda Cwrdd a Chyfarch yw bod yn bresenoldeb croesawgar ger mynedfa’r ysbyty. Mae pobl sy’n ymweld â’r ysbyty yn aml yn eithaf pryderus, yn enwedig wrth ystyried y cyfyngiadau o ganlyniad i’r pandemig. Trwy fod yn wyneb cyfeillgar wrth ddesg y gwirfoddolwyr, gallaf dawelu eu meddwl, rhoi cyfarwyddiadau ac ateb cwestiynau. Wrth i bobl basio desg wybodaeth y gwirfoddolwyr ar eu ffordd allan o’r ysbyty, maen nhw’n aml yn dweud “Diolch”. Mae gwybod eich bod chi wedi helpu rhywun drwy hwyluso ei ymweliad â’r ysbyty yn rhoi boddhad. Roedd gweithio fel gwirfoddolwr hefyd wedi rhoi ymdeimlad o normalrwydd i fi gan fy mod i’n rhyngweithio gyda phobl eraill ar ôl sawl mis o fathau gwahanol o gyfyngiadau symud.
Sarah Davies:
Dechreuais wirfoddoli mewn Canolfannau Brechu Torfol ym mis Ebrill 2021. Rydw i’n gwirfoddoli yng Nghanolfan Brechu Torfol y Bae, Caerdydd ar brynhawn Sadwrn fel ffordd o roi rhywbeth yn ôl i’r GIG a chyfrannu’n gadarnhaol at fy nghymuned leol.
Haydn Canter:
Rydw i’n wirfoddolwr yng Nghanolfan Adsefydlu ar ôl Strôc Llandochau. Rydw i hefyd yn gyd-oroeswr strôc. Rydw i’n gweithio gyda’r cleifion, ac mae nifer ohonynt heb baentio o’r blaen. Ar ôl strôc, rydyn ni’n aml yn clywed am bethau na allwn ni eu gwneud. Mae’n hyfryd eu gweld yn cyflawni rhywbeth nad oeddent yn meddwl a fyddai’n bosibl. Rydyn ni’n aml yn rhannu dagrau llawenydd. Mae hynny’n amhrisiadwy.
Donna Doherty:
Dechreuais wirfoddoli 2 flynedd a hanner yn ôl fel cyfaill ar ward, ond o ganlyniad i COVID, mae fy rôl wedi newid ac rydw i bellach yn helpu yn y Ganolfan Wybodaeth. Rydw i’n cael trafferth gyda fy iechyd meddwl a fy iechyd corfforol ac yn teimlo bod gwirfoddoli wedi fy helpu i gadw ffocws a magu hyder.
Dean Munro:
Dechreuais wirfoddoli gyda’r Bwrdd Iechyd yn ystod COVID, pan oedd galw am wirfoddolwyr i helpu yn yr Hafan i Staff, ar benwythnosau, yn cefnogi’r gwaith o ddosbarthu bwyd a diod i staff a oedd wedi’u rhoi gan gwmnïau lleol. Unwaith y daeth y rôl hon i ben, roeddwn i eisiau parhau i gefnogi’r Bwrdd Iechyd, a Thîm Profiad y Claf yn benodol, ond doeddwn i ddim yn gallu gwirfoddoli yn ystod yr wythnos oherwydd fy swydd. Penderfynais ddechrau codi arian i helpu’r Tîm i brynu eitemau hanfodol a gweithgareddau i wella profiad cleifion yn ystod eu cyfnod yn yr ysbyty. Ym mis Gorffennaf 2021, fe godais i, fy mhartner a’i brawd dros £500 yn dringo Ben Nevis ac rydw i’n chwilio am fy her nesaf ar hyn o bryd.
Helena Robertson Reid:
Dechreuais gefnogi BIPCAF fel gwirfoddolwr yn 2013. Gwirfoddolais gyda Solace, gwasanaeth o fewn MHSOP sy’n cefnogi gofalwyr di-dâl sy’n gofalu am anwyliaid sydd â diagnosis o ddementia neu nam gwybyddol. Rydw i bellach yn un o ddau reolwr Gwasanaethau Gwirfoddol BIPCAF ac yn rheoli cannoedd o wirfoddolwyr ac amrywiaeth o brosiectau. Roedd dechrau fy nhaith o fewn BIPCAF fel gwirfoddolwr yn golygu fod gen i well dealltwriaeth, mewnwelediad a brwdfrydedd wrth ymgymryd â fy rôl fel aelod o staff, yn ogystal â gwerthfawrogiad o’r hyn mae’n ei gymryd i fod yn wirfoddolwr.
Os oes gennych ddiddordeb mewn cefnogi Tîm Profiad y Claf neu os hoffech chi wybod rhagor am wirfoddoli, gallwch ddod o hyd i ragor o wybodaeth yma: https://cavuhb.nhs.wales/our-services/voluntary-services/
Cynhelir Arddangosfa’r Gwirfoddolwyr tan 10 Ionawr.
Os hoffech ragor o wybodaeth am raglen y Celfyddydau ar gyfer Iechyd a Lles, ewch i http://www.cardiffandvale.art a’n tudalennau cyfryngau cymdeithasol ar Facebook a Twitter @CAVuhbArts ac Instagram @thehearthgallery
I gael rhagor o wybodaeth neu i brynu unrhyw un o’r darnau celf, neu os hoffech chi gael eich cynnwys yn arddangosiadau’r dyfodol, cysylltwch â: Magda.Lackowska@wales.nhs.uk