Great friends of St John

WORTHY SERVICE: St John Friends of Emergency Department volunteers Terry Caples and Pam Thompson at Waitakere Hospital have done the same shift together every Tuesday for five years.

St John Friends of the Emergency Department celebrate five years of volunteering at Waitakere Hospital on February 1.

The hospital, which covers Waitakere and Kaipara, includes retirees Pam Thompson and Terry Caples, who have become great friends since becoming original volunteers.

Since February 1, 2005, they have worked the same, four-hour shift nearly every Tuesday afternoon.

The pair enjoy offering comfort, information and support to patients, their relatives and the staff while they are waiting for or having treatment in emergency.

"I absolutely love it, it's so fulfilling helping people when they are often anxious, upset or frightened," says Pam.

"The nurses are so busy we can give the patients that little extra attention, have a chat, give them a cuppa if they are allowed one, get them a magazine and so on."

Terry says he can do those little things that patients appreciate and he gets a great sense of satisfaction from being a volunteer.

Regional department manager Michael Bancroft says the original team of 28 has grown to 43.

In pairs, they cover three four-hour shifts every day, 365 days a year, giving about 8500 hours a year.

"New members are always welcome and we offer all suitable applicants appropriate training and a simple uniform," Mr Bancroft says.

Phone 0800-785-646.

- St John's Helensville station is on track for completion on February 22.

Fundraising still continues for the refurbished building, which is expected to be officially opened in March or April.

- © Fairfax NZ News