Volunteer placements support overseas communities and improve the NHS, says the Tropical Health & Education Trust

Our latest film follows the story of Dr. Helen Newsom, a paediatric registrar at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, and her experiences volunteering at Zambia’s Matero Hospital. 

This week (4 – 8 April) is World Health Worker Week, an opportunity for organisations around the world to celebrate and draw attention to the needs of health workers globally.   

Our latest collaboration with the Tropical Health & Education Trust (THET) tells the story of health worker Dr. Helen Newsom, paediatric registrar at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. Helen spent six months in Zambia on a volunteer placement programme funded by Health Education England and managed by THET during which she worked alongside local health workers to improve paediatric care. 

Volunteer placements are beneficial to the local communities, which receive training opportunities and expert support, but also to the NHS workers, who can improve their clinical, leadership and management skills. It gives health workers the opportunity to learn new perspectives and approaches which can be applied to their work to help them and the wider health service improve the quality of care they provide. As Helen puts it: 

“I think we need to think wider for the NHS. The more varied we are and the more experiences everyone that works in the NHS has, the more we can develop it and make it the best in the world.”

Watch and share Helen’s story:

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