Volunteers' Testimonies
Volunteers' Testimonies
| JUDITH COOK - DOCTOR Dr Judith Cook qualified as a GP in the mid 1960s and worked in general practice in north London for 20 years. Since then, Judith has worked with vulnerable groups including homeless people, asylum seekers and refugees, people dependent on drugs and others who find access to healthcare difficult. Judith has been involved in the work of several health NGOS. She volunteered with Médecins du Monde in Afghanistan and Liberia. She currently does work in primary care for people who are drug dependent, and continues to work on issues relating to the health of asylum seekers and refugees in the UK. “Because I had experience working with vulnerable groups in the UK, the Médecins du Monde UK team came to me early in their needs assessment process, before setting up Project: London, and I offered some suggestions from my experience with these groups. I am aware of the great difficulties that they have accessing healthcare, and I am also aware of the other problems they contend with in their lives, and the fact that they have very important health needs. Many of their health problems are linked to broader issues such as destitution, anxiety and uncertainty about their status, and often to past experiences of abuse, ill-treatment or torture. I want to work with Project: London to help identify the health needs of these vulnerable people and help them reach mainstream services. Also, because it is an MdM project - and I’ve worked with MdM before - and I support the principles on which MdM’s work is based.” |
| LIZ ANNUN - NURSE Liz Annun is a nurse with 34 years of experience working in the NHS. She says “I enjoy nursing and was considering getting involved with voluntary work at some stage of my career.” To find out more she attended a study day organised by the RCN, where she heard Karen McColl, former director of Médecins du Monde UK give a talk about opportunities overseas and in the UK. This was in January 2004, soon after Médecins du Monde UK started its needs assessment, so Liz has been involved with Project: London from the very early stages. She continues: “As I found out more about Project: London, I realised there was an opportunity to become involved in my spare time. I’ve agreed to volunteer for one afternoon a fortnight, which fits in very well with my current job at a Walk In Centre. Project: London is not taking workers away from the NHS. From my own perspective it is helping me to widen my skills base.” She continues: “The training provided by Médecins du Monde UK has helped me to understand the expectations of the project and to prepare me to work as a volunteer. Now I am looking forward to working with other volunteers in helping service users obtain the levels of healthcare they need. It is good to be part of a team with principles like Médecins du Monde UK’s.” |
| PAUL WHITELEGG – SUPPORT WORKER Paul Whitelegg is a second year student on the four-year graduate entry programme into medicine. He wants to be a doctor with the NHS when he qualifies. Paul first heard about Project: London when Médecins du Monde UK came to St. George’s Hospital in Tooting earlier in 2005 to give a talk about opportunities for volunteering overseas. The speaker, Dr. Shera Chok who is a GP in east London, also mentioned that Project: London was being planned. “I want to help people who are less fortunate than me to get back on track,” said Paul when asked about what prompted his decision to get involved. “I had been interested in voluntary work for some time, and wanted to do some medically-related voluntary work that would contribute to the course. Longer-term, I’m very interested in volunteering for an overseas project, maybe in Africa. I think it’s a great idea to start the process of getting involved with voluntary work in my home country first of all.“ “As a first or second year medical student, there is still a reasonable amount of spare time available to do other activities. Wednesday afternoons are currently free from lectures, which is why my voluntary sessions with Project: London will be on Wednesdays - one session (four-hours) every fortnight. The role of a support worker is great for a medical student although, of course, support workers are not involved in giving medical care. The training sessions given by MdM UK “It is so helpful to get used to taking people’s social histories, as well as working with people who are all part of the cultural diversity of London. I speak fluent Spanish, and when Project: London ran pilot sessions in December 2005, I was able to put this skill to good use with Spanish-speaking service users who came to seek advice. Solving language barrier issues is part of the role of the support worker." |
