Celebrating Volunteers Week

Message from Gillian McCannon, NHS Western Isles Interim Chair

It has been two years since I attended a face-to-face event to celebrate the wonderful volunteers that support NHS Western Isles. At that time, I was touched by their devotion and kindness to help others in a variety of ways.

Since then, we have experienced an event unlike any I have experienced in my career working within the NHS, COVID-19 pandemic.

There is no doubt that it has changed the way that we deliver our services.

What has been outstanding is the way a myriad of volunteers has helped us to deliver the COVID-19 vaccination programme, without your help and that of our community, it would not be the success that it has been.

Volunteers are an invaluable part of our NHS, and both patients and our community benefit with the involvement of others in their lives. It is a two-way process and volunteers also benefit from that activity. It has not been easy during the pandemic and we have had to use virtual ways to support people. I know that a lot of support has been ongoing in our community from a socially distanced world that we now occupy.

I would like to send a heartfelt thanks to ALL volunteers that have supported NHS Western Isles over the past year. I look forward to the day when we can all meet face-to-face in a communal setting.

Thank you!

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