Successful handholding service expands to new sites
17th December, 2024
The service, which offers emotional support to patients before, during and after eye procedures, is now available at Moorfields at Ealing Hospital and Moorfields at Northwick Park.
Having an eye procedure under local anaesthetic is a daunting experience for many people. The handholding volunteers at Friends of Moorfields help make it easier.
Handholding volunteers have been active at Moorfields since 2019, beginning with a pilot supported by Helpforce at Moorfields City Road. Since then, the service has gone from strength to strength.
Handholders provide a real, measurable benefit to patients – in statistics compiled by Helpforce, 95% of patients agreed or strongly agreed that the presence of a handholder helped them to feel less anxious. “The volunteer held my hand during my surgery and made me feel very relaxed and comfortable. My anxiety level went down a lot! Thank you for the support,” said one patient who filled in the survey after their procedure.
The success of the handholding service has led to it rolling out at more sites – at first only offered at Moorfields City Road, the service now provides almost 200 hours of support a week, across nine Moorfields sites.
Moorfields at Ealing and Moorfields at Northwick Park are the latest sites to offer the service. Experienced handholders from other sites worked with prospective volunteers there, offering training and sharing tips based on their own experiences. Volunteer Service Manager Natalia Tomashpolskaya provided documentation and know-how to set up the service at the new sites, and Theatre Sister Ranjana Timsina facilitated the volunteers working smoothly with the theatre teams. The service officially launched at both sites in Summer 2024.
“The handholding service has a massive and underrated impact as part of a holistic approach to care,” says Ranjana. “I’m very proud to be a part of making it happen, and I’m so grateful to the volunteers who give their personal time to support patients. Safety is very important, so the handholding volunteers go through a structured induction process to make sure they’re clear on everything. I’m also with them on their first day, to make sure everything goes smoothly.” Support from staff throughout the clinic ensures that the handholding service gets to the patients who need it the most. “At patients’ pre-assessment appointments, if I assess that they’re worried about their procedure, I always recommend the handholding service because, in my clinical experience, the patient tends to do much better,” says Nurse Mary Frances Byrne. “The whole team does their best to support the patient through their entire journey, and handholding is an important part of that.”
Volunteer Shoaib recently did his first handholding shift. “It was a very good experience working with the surgical team,” he said. “Everyone was very friendly. I was already loving volunteering, and it’s great to get this new experience and the opportunity to support patients in another way.”
Handholders don’t just hold patients’ hands during procedures – they also chat to patients as they wait and prepare for surgery, and stay with them afterwards if needed. “I’ve noticed during my time as a volunteer that the waiting time can be really difficult for patients,” said Justyna, who is training to become a handholder at Moorfields at Ealing. “They get emotional, they get nervous. Something as simple as holding someone’s hand and talking to them can make a big impact.”
The average length of time a volunteer stays with a patient is 35 minutes, but 37% of patients surveyed spent an hour or more with a volunteer.
“It’s been a wonderful experience to support patients who are vulnerable,” says Radhika, a handholder at Northwick Park. “Some of the patients who come back for their checkup after their surgery remember me as their handholder, and they thank me again.”
As well as providing measurable benefits to patients, the handholding service is a fantastic opportunity for volunteers to learn more about eye surgery. “I’m planning to apply to study medicine after I finish my degree, and it’s important to have some experience in a clinical setting,” volunteer Adam says. “I was already volunteering here, and I really enjoy helping the patients, so I’m looking forward to being in the operating theatre and getting that further experience while providing support to patients who need it.”
While some sites have handholders available all week long, at the moment Moorfields at Ealing and Moorfields at Northwick Park only have partial coverage. “The service will continue to grow organically,” said Senior Volunteer Support Officer Liam Bays. “Now that the theatres are set up for handholding and onboarding is in place, we’re hoping to be close to full coverage at both sites in the new year.”