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Volunteer goes above and beyond for St. Peter’s patient |
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Written by Head of Communications
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An elderly patient, Jack Collins, was admitted to St. Peter’s Hospital after dialling 999 from his home in New Haw, Surrey.
Whilst waiting for the ambulance, Jack was becoming increasingly worried about the whereabouts of his cat, “I couldn’t locate Thomas and I had no chance to talk to my neighbours before the ambulance arrived…I would normally ask them to look after the cat.” Due to communication between staff at the hospital, the patient was relieved to find out that one of our volunteers, Wendy Collins, could look after Thomas the cat.
As soon as Jack arrived at A&E, it was clear he was anxious. Once he was transferred to a ward he became even more concerned about leaving his cat without food or drink.
The Discharge Nurse attempted to settle the patient by contacting the RSPCA for help. Unfortunately, the RSPCA could not care for the cat, a result of Jack having a gate lock to access the rear of his property. She was now desperate to find someone who could.
Luckily, she crossed paths with Wendy, a volunteer who was able to come to the rescue. What was even more fortunate, Wendy explains, “I only live a mile to a mile and a half away from the patient and I have two cats myself.” This was reassuring and put the patient at ease.
Wendy fed the cat for two days running before handing over the responsibility to Jack’s next door neighbour. In her account of events, she stated “I couldn’t believe it when he rang me up that very evening from hospital to say thanks."
Jack also sent a letter of thanks to the hospital, paying a tribute to Wendy and commenting on how well the situation had been dealt with, “…it gave me a peace of mind, which I’m convinced added to my speed of recovery. |
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Wendy Collins
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Last Updated ( Monday, 01 August 2011 08:13 )
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Press 2011 
