A coordinator spills the beans

A coordinator spills the beans   by Anke Morris - a coordinator for HVC

Hester's story on rural public transport raises a pertinent question for residents: how do I get to my medical appointment?  Well, after family. friends and neighbours, this is where HVC comes into play.

I am one of about a dozen coordinators with HVC and my job is to connect patients with our volunteer drivers. Think of it as a cross between air traffic control and speed dating: a bit less frantic(usually), not quite as glamorous maybe, but with a high rate of successful matches.

One week in every two months I answer telephone call from patients need a lift. I then take notes, name, address, when to where and appointment time and sometimes share a little chat. I note the info down and when I have a few, start contacting drivers from a list of available drivers. They are the real heroes, often prepared to turn out at any time, to (almost) anywhere. I avoid giving directions as I am very good at getting lost myself.

After adding the driver details, I phone the client again to confirm. This may take a while, as invariably the phone is upstairs while the client is down, or the diary is in the kitchen, or someone has taken the pencil - theirs not mine. I get fulsome thanks, which I try and redirect towards the drivers as they do the real work, but it still makes me feel good.

I've got to know the drivers fairly well by now, if only by voice (apologies if I ignore you when I pass you in the street - I likely imagined you look quite different) I am toying with the idea of using Facetime. They are such a nice bunch and very forgiving if you make a mistake.

It's not an 8-hour day, there is time to walk the dog/do the washing, as people will use an answer machine or voicemail, which also records the caller's number. I avoid having friends over for coffee though, as I can't resist answering the phone when it rings. 

At the end of the week Keith comes and collects the evidence, although he always seems to know already what has been going on.

Despite being one of the best jobs going, with most attractive terms and conditions and highly satisfactory, we are always needing more people to spread the load, even with a low turnover. So if you are looking for a job with ideal conditions - a brilliant team, great work-life balance, long term job stability, job not under threat from AI and equal pay between men and women (zero), then contact anyone on the committee, or the helpline of Headley Voluntary Care on 01428717389