ANDOVER hospital is pioneering a Link Volunteer scheme in the care of the elderly for Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust.

The project is a natural progression from the long-established volunteer scheme which has always been in place in the hospital and organised by the local league of friends.

Now, with financial aid from the national League of Friends, a new manager, Carolyne Connolly, has been appointed with specific responsibility to aid the elderly during their stay in hospital and on discharge. Her remit, with the volunteers, is to remain in touch with the patients for some time, but always if they wish.

A spokesman for the trust said such schemes were in operation nationwide but it was the first in the Winchester area.

"This is an exciting and worthwhile project which will help elderly people on their discharge from hospital to either their own homes or residential care.

"It is especially important for the Andover hospital because of the number of elderly patients in its care and will enable volunteers to establish links between the hospital and local voluntary agencies."

Carolyne Connolly, aged 27, is full of enthusiasm for the project which she describes as a 'befriending service'. She says her role is to recruit more volunteers and then to fully understand the needs of patients and to appoint a volunteer to aid that patient if needed or wanted.

"It is a new NHS drive that volunteers should be very much more part of the hospital world and this is particularly relevant for Andover hospital which is a community hospital. The overall intention is to bring relatives, hospital services, social services and voluntary agencies closer together to aid the patient."