Volunteers decide to quit (From Witney Gazette)

Volunteers decide to quit

7:54am Thursday 21st December 2006 in Witney By Rosalind Miles

SOME volunteers at the Witney Community Hospital reception desk are to quit in disgust after hearing they are to be replaced by paid staff.

As reported in the Gazette, people who have been manning the reception desk at the hospital unpaid for many years have been told they will be replaced by two paid, part-time receptionists.

Several say they feel so badly treated they will stop volunteering after Christmas.

Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) is to advertise for a receptionist in January. If there are any gaps between volunteers leaving and an employee being taken on, their administration staff will fill in.

The PCT says volunteers are still needed to help out when paid reception staff were ill or on holiday, and volunteers are also needed at the coffee shop. But the receptionist role has become more complex, and it was difficult for all the volunteers to be kept up to date with changes at the hospital. Volunteers were not consulted over the move because it was too difficult to get all 17 volunteers together for a meeting, according to the PCT.

Pensioner Jill Revell, of Woodlands Road, has worked at the hospital for seven years, but has now decided to quit.

"We felt we were doing some good and saving them money. They could have asked us, we all felt hurt, put out, and cross. "

Jill Revell

A former doctor's receptionist, she said: "We felt we were doing some good and saving them money. They could have asked us, we all felt hurt, put out, and cross. It's not true it's difficult to arrange a meeting, and it's not true it's difficult to work a rota out.

"I have worked there once a week for seven years. We always have a 15-minute hand-over time with another volunteer, so we can tell them what's happening.

"I have enjoyed doing the job. On reception, you have to be patient, listen to people, and try to sort things out. It's all common sense really. The volunteers do a perfectly good job.

"We even get called in at the last minute. But I'm not going back after December 29. I don't want to stand in when a paid receptionist is ill. All the goodwill is gone, I'm not prepared to do it.

"It's purely the way they have gone about it. If they had discussed it with us, they probably would have come to the same conclusion, but we wouldn't have felt this way."

Gordon Price, of West End, who has been a volunteer for nearly ten years, said: "If the work you do is not appreciated, then why bother? It's the way they went about it, without discussing it at all, that's really upset me. I should think I'll do more for the Volunteer Link up instead."

Alison Brumfitt, corporate communications manager for the PCT, said: "The majority of volunteers do not feel this way. It's not true to say volunteers are no longer required, volunteers are always welcome, and we need them at the coffee shop and to help out at the reception desk from time-to-time.

"Letters were sent so that everybody got the right message. If there was a meeting, and a few people went, and others didn't, then some people might have ended up hearing a second-hand version that wasn't right. Sending letters made it consistent.

"The letter did say people could get in touch if they were concerned and speak to staff at the hospital about it.

"Volunteers are appreciated and we are sorry if our letter has been misunderstood."