U-turn over ‘barmy’ volunteer training

Harrogate Hospital came under fire last week after it was revealed more than 300 volunteers at the North Yorkshire hospital were sent a letter saying training had to be complete within six months of joining the trust.

David Simister, a former chairman of Harrogate Hospital Radio, labelled the move as “barmy” and warned it might lead to valued volunteers leaving the NHS.

Yesterday, however, a hospital spokesman revealed the letter was being withdrawn and volunteers were set to receive written confirmation informing them of the U-turn.

The spokesman said: “We are sorry for any concerns that have been caused and we are withdrawing the requirement for the training while our directors review how we go about ensuring that all of our volunteers have got the highest level of skills and knowledge in order to carry out their roles.”

The letter had listed nine areas of necessary training including health and safety; data protection and confidentiality; equality and diversity awareness; and manual handling (practical and theory).

It said training had to be done to ensure the safety of volunteers, staff and patients “due to updated requirements placed on the trust by the NHS Litigation Authority”.

Welcoming the decision, Mr Simister, said: “This is a victory for common sense and I’m delighted the Trust has admitted on this occasion they got it wrong. We can now go back to our job of volunteering for the good of the patients without this unwarranted threat hanging over us.”

In a statement, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The Trust’s volunteers play a vital part in the day to day running of the hospital and their role has such a valuable impact on the patient experience

“We value every one of our volunteers and we will work to minimise the time required for training which is being reviewed.”