Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting volunteers to support staff and patients at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Sheriff Hill) and Bensham Hospital in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. The trust ran an urgent recruitment drive in early 2026 to find local people who could assist with non‑clinical daily tasks that help the hospital run more smoothly and allow medical teams to focus on patient care.
Volunteers can choose from several roles, including Patient Experience volunteers who may sit with patients and play board games, or help front of house in the emergency department. The trust also operates a Response Volunteers programme for errands and logistics, such as taking patient notes between wards and supporting staff wellbeing.
Other tasks described by the trust include supporting ward teams by restocking clinical products on trolleys (for example gloves, aprons and specimen bottles) and helping patient flow and discharge processes.
The appeal for volunteers came as local health services were under pressure, a situation that contributed to temporary reductions in opening hours at some services such as the Blaydon Urgent Treatment Centre in late 2023 and early 2024.
Community volunteer portal OurGateshead notes that these roles are flexible and can provide work experience as well as opportunities to give back to the local community.
Interested residents can apply or request more information at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital or Bensham Hospital by contacting Judith Curry, Patient Experience and Volunteer Manager, on 0191 445 2343 or by emailing [email protected].
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