LMVA Annual Report 2019
Volunteer Service Report - Lyell McEwin Hospital
Our Presence at Lyell McEwin Hospital
Playspace
The Playspace continues to provide a vital service to Lyell McEwin patients, visitors and families accessing services and visiting friends and family who are patients of the hospital. Many of the families that utilise the Playspace do not have extended family members who can or are able to care for the children whilst the parents are attending sick family members, having treatments, attending diabetes management classes, birthing classes or attending appointments. The Playspace provides a safe, nurturing environment for the children and parents can feel reassured and comfortable to leave their children.
The Playspace continues to improve the service and this year saw the implementation of the Playspace Coordinator Deb Edson. With the implementation of the Playspace Coordinator we now meet the DCSI standards and compliance. We also meet our obligations to the Hospital and the local health community. Deb has many years’ experience working with children and staff management. All staff are appropriately trained to be a volunteer at the Playspace with mandatory training, police clearances and DCSI clearances. This year as a staff team we all completed Child Safe Environments training which is compulsory training for all people working with children and is valid for three years.
This year the staff and children participated in Harmony Day. A large art display was made by the children with the help of the staff. The design was a tree with children from many nationalities dancing around the tree. The tree represents growth in our community and Playspace and the children dancing represents inclusiveness, belonging and togetherness. Our special message in the art display was that everyone is different and everyone belongs. It is now displayed at the Women’s Health Guide Desk.
This year we were very fortunate to be approached by a very large company offering a considerable donation. The company particularly wanted to provide the Playspace with new and vital equipment and supplies.
The Playspace often receives letters of thanks from families using the service. One in particular was from a rural family who travelled to Lyell McEwin Hospital so the Mother could attend 5 weeks of radiation treatment. This left the family in a predicament of care for the children. The children attended almost every single day over the course of the 5 weeks, Not only did the children love it but this also meant the husband could continue working and provide an income for the family in this difficult time. The treatment also ran through the school holidays and so the Playspace was able to provide care for all the 4 children. This family stated without the help of the Playspace they could not have got through this difficult time - Deb and the staff are very supportive and amazing.
The Playspace currently has 14 Volunteer Staff members. We welcomed 5 new volunteers to the Playspace. Janet Tangey, Jo Legg, Alahana Boyle, Teri-Anne Lansdowne, Gary Mills and Christine Crowe. As the Playspace Coordinator I would personally like to thank all our volunteers. We work well together as a team supporting each other and working well together. The volunteers are amazing and their dedication to the Playspace is beyond words. Volunteers are not paid because they are worthless but, because they are priceless. Well done Playspace team.