ONE VOLUNTEER

Tony Maddock is a volunteer with the Learning Disability team in Warrington. Rachel Boswell is a Learning Disabilities nurse. They explain why each values the other – and why volunteers are an integral part of the service.

Tony is an integral part of our service – he’s the reason we come to work. As learning disability professionals we can try to plan services from our own perspective. But if we really want to deliver what someone with a learning disability and their family or carer want, we need input from someone who uses those services.

Tony looks for something in the applicant that he knows other service users would want to see.

Volunteer Tony Maddock with learning disabilities nurse Rachel Boswell

Tony is 56 and has a learning disability and autism. He supports the team with office based tasks. He also sits on interview panels to recruit new staff to the team.

Rachel says Tony’s contribution can shape who the panel eventually selects. “Tony looks for something in the applicant that he knows other service users would want to see. He takes a lot of pride in his role.”

“I look for honesty and trust” says Tony. “When you talk to someone you can tell by what they answer if they’re the right person”.

He’s certain volunteering has made life better. “In the past I’ve been really down; sitting at home wasn’t nice. I love working with the team and it makes me happy when they say I’m helpful.”

It takes time to build relationships with volunteers. Sometimes reasonable adjustments are needed to enable someone with a learning disability to be part of the team, says Rachel, but it improves life for everyone.

“They give us ideas we’d never have thought of and in turn we’re always thinking about how we can broaden their scope. We all have different skills – why not share them?”

Read more about volunteering at: www.merseycare.nhs.uk