Lack of new faces sees volunteer service fold

THEY have been a familiar sight in Edinburgh's hospitals for more than 70 years.

But the Lauriston Volunteers service - which predates the NHS itself - is set to fold because it has been unable to attract enough fresh faces.

It signals a sad end to an organisation once 700-strong but now with volunteers who are becoming too old to continue.

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The 60 remaining members have resigned themselves to winding down the service, formally called the Royal Infirmary Volunteers, in February.

Health chiefs paid tribute to those involved, adding that they played a major role within NHS Lothian.

One member, who did not want to be named, told the Evening News: "A lot of these people have 20 and 30 years' service. It's a shame this sort of thing isn't valued as much any more, there will be a lot of tears when it actually shuts.

"Times have changed, it used to be a case of people doing anything to help each other out, and that's how the service started all those years ago."

As well as running comfort services such as tea trolleys and information resources, members produced "kits" for emergency hospital patients containing items such as toothbrushes, soap and flannels.

Despite being the "lifeblood of the old Royal" the group broke its links with the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary when it moved to Little France.

By that stage the health board had its own volunteering set-up in place, and it was decided to rename the charity the Lauriston Volunteers.

They remained at the old site, instead focusing their efforts on the Eye Pavilion, the Scottish Blood Transfusion Service and the various clinics which still run from the area.

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Over the years it has also been a generous source of finance, paying for various refurbishments at the old ERI, and donating around 1 million to the new hospital at Little France since 1998.

Labour's health spokeswoman in Edinburgh Councillor Lesley Hinds said: "It's a shame this service has to stop because it will have helped generations of Edinburgh families who have ended up in hospital."

Jackie Sansbury, NHS Lothian's chief operating officer for acute services, said: "The volunteers have provided us with valuable support over many years and we are sad to see the organisation finishing up.

"Over the years they have offered support in a number of different ways, from supplying baby vests, night dresses and cot lining to new mothers in our maternity unit during the second world war, to more recently running a teabar in the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion and helping with the distribution of hearing aid batteries.

"Across NHS Lothian we have almost 3000 volunteers who work alongside our staff every day of the week, supporting us to continue providing the best possible care and service to all of our patients."