A team of volunteers who support the holistic care of patients as they near the end of their lives have won a national accolade.

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) partner charity, the Anne Robson Trust, were selected as the winners of the End of Life Care Award.

The award was presented at the Markel 3rd Sector Care Awards ceremony in London on Friday, December 6.

TV presenter Dame Esther Rantzen and her daughter, Rebecca Wilcox both presented the awards ceremony.

Nicki Harris, Butterfly Volunteers coordinator said: “The Butterfly Volunteers are a fabulous team and I am so proud to work with them every day.

“It is a fantastic boost for them, knowing that their contributions to our patients’ lives have been acknowledged nationally.”

The award is designed to acknowledge individuals or teams that recognise how choices made by patients for and their family are central to the service and care that is delivered.

This involves reflecting fully on what is important to the person at the end of their life.

The Butterfly Volunteers’ challenging work requires a delicate, sensitive approach, for which PAHT has recently become the Anne Robson Trust Centre of Excellence to provide specialist training.

It is for this partnership with the charity, that The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) was shortlisted for the Enhancing Patient Dignity Award 2019 by the Nursing Times.

Sharon McNally, director of nursing, midwifery and Allied Health Professionals at PAHT, said: “I am delighted that the dedication the Butterfly Volunteers show in offering a listening ear and talking to patients who are at the end of their lives has been recognised at the 3rd Sector Care Awards, as equally it is by our teams across the hospital.”

PAHT currently have 30 volunteers in place who are able to offer a comforting presence for patients and can be someone to talk to when someone may be lonely or frightened.

Over 1,800 visits have been made to patients, since the programme began, with hundreds of hours have been spent by the bedside of those in hospital.