Interviewer:

Okay. So first of all, could I ask you your name,

 

Pat Moreno:

Pat Moreno:.

 

Interviewer:

And could I ask which friend’s group you’re associated with?

 

Pat Moreno:

I am with the Friends of St Marks.

 

Interviewer:

And how old are you Pat?

 

Pat Moreno:

69.

 

Interviewer:

What it’s lovely to meet you. And so the first thing is I’m interested in how you’re involved at the friends group at St Marks, What brought you to get involved?

 

Pat Moreno:

Okay, well, initially I was made redundant back in 2011, and I had a lot of other things going on in my life. My parents have both passed away sadly, and there was a big issue with their estate. So I had a lot of stuff going on. So initially I wasn’t really looking for another job, but then we saw an “ad” in the Metro paper and that was for volunteers for the Stanmore Orthopedic Hospital, the friends group there. So I thought, “oh, that’s interesting. Let me call them”, which I did. And I went up for an interview, met the lady there, Hilary, and this was for a cafe, I’d never done anything like that before: it was serving food. At that point, we were making food: bacon sandwiches, sausage sandwiches, beans on toast, teas coffees for staff, and also patients and patients families, and people who came with them. Because it’s Stanmore Orthopedic people come from all over the country, because they’re very specialised there.

 

Pat Moreno:

So yes, we had a lot of it, was a very busy place, because a lot of people would come very early because they wanted to make sure they didn’t miss their appointment. Like I’m from up north and way down, south, et cetera. So I really, really enjoyed that. I was doing that for, I’m going to say, maybe two years, and then they were doing major refurbishments at Stanmore Orthopedic and the building we were in, which was a very old building that was all getting closed, um, and going to be redone, et cetera. So then they moved the cafe there, cause it was quite big into the main building in the outpatients area. And they changed it into a shop. So we were just serving in the shop, and ready-made sandwiches, and all sorts of things for the hospital, but not making the food.

 

 

 

 

Pat Moreno:

So it was more like a shop assistant, which was okay, But I didn’t, it wasn’t so hands-on, and then financially the hospital powers that be, whatever, they sold that franchise to a SPAR. And so we all got like made redundant, if you like, and then nothing really happened. And I happened to be up at Northwick Park. I think it was to get my eyes tested. And I came out a long down into St Marks because St Marks and Northwick Park are joined by a bridge, if you like. And I came out, I think I might have used their carpark. I can’t actually remember why, but anyway, I ended up and I saw the Friends Cafe there. And so I went over and I asked one of the young ladies, I said, oh, do you know if you have volunteers work? And she said, “oh, you need to speak to the guy.”

 

Pat Moreno:

She gave me his number. So I called back later that day, I spoke to him and he put me in touch with the people who are the committee, if you like. So I arranged an interview with them and I went in and we had an interview, the three of us, four of us, actually, there were three of them. And I also met the guy who ran the cafe, who runs the cafe. It’s a Tea Bar. So that was that. So then I started, I could do one morning, one day, rather a week, which was fine with them because they had other volunteers. So this, I can’t actually remember how long ago it was, but I’m going to say it might be at least three years. So that was the beginning of it. So then I go in, what I do is, the girls, there’s two girls there who are paid workers.

Pat Moreno:

And so they have a volunteer. I don’t know if every day, but what I do, they make up a big trolley with pre-packed sandwiches, sweets and stuff, fresh fruit et cetera. And I take the trolley up through, into the theatre area, which is actually at Northwick Park because most of the staff up there, they don’t really get specific breaks because of the nature of how they work. So I take the trolley and then they announced that the trolleys here, the lunch trolley, and then people come and buy their lunches. So we also do in a pre-pack plastic containers, things like pasta, curries we have sometimes, all sorts of things like that. Chicken and Rice. And so that’s very popular as well with the staff, because they can pop that in the microwave and have a hot meal.

 

Pat Moreno:

So that’s my initial duty. And then by the time I get back down to the Tea Bar, it’s 12 ish and that’s the lunch start. So then I help out with that, usually taking the money, so the girls can get the stuff and the drinks cabinet, so I can deal with the drinks. So I stay on the till more or less.

 

Interviewer:

And what do you enjoy most about the job?

 

Pat Moreno:

I think what I really enjoy because I’m now familiar with a lot of the people, they’re regular, when I go up to the theatres. So it’s quite nice to have a bit of a chat bit of a chinwag with them also, yes. To work in the tea bar. So you, you get to meet so many different people, some are staff. So you see them regular. Some are actually patients outpatients, some are visitors who are coming with just see patients who are in, or else they come to bring their, their, their parents or whatever. So, predominantly St Mark’s is a-about, so there are a lot about patients, appointments and you know, quite central.

 

Interviewer:

And do you think they know that you’re a volunteer when they meet you?

 

Pat Moreno:

Yes, they do. Because, sorry. I have a badge and lanyard which says “volunteer” so they know because it’s a yellow and on the others, I think were different colours.

 

Interviewer:

And do you think that you being a volunteer means they treat you any differently? Or how do you think they respond to the fact that you’re a volunteer?

 

Pat Moreno:

No, I haven’t noticed. I think the staff are usually really, really nice and very polite. So whether, you know, because they appreciate the fact that I am a volunteer. So maybe they’re just generally nice. Anyway, you know, it’s hard to say because we’re only three people in that tea bar, one of the girls is at the back, usually making a set of the jacket potatoes, whatever the other one is sort of in between, you know, sorting out staff. So on the day that I’m there, I am the most customer-facing because I’m actually at the till taking their money, getting their drinks, giving them sandwich and taking their orders.

 

Interviewer:

So what difference do you think having volunteers makes to that service?

 

Pat Moreno:

Oh, I think it really, really helps out because if I wasn’t doing the trolley, for example, which probably takes around an hour and a half total, then probably one of the girls from the bar would have to do that, which would mean they’d be one staff less there and it, it can be really busy. You know, people coming in that’s the staff do shifts as well. So it runs quite busy. Lunchtime is crazy, but it’s a full on service then there’s workmen in the hospitals. So very often we’ll get a group of the workman come for their lunches and stuff like that and breakfast because they do sandwiches and stuff, first thing. So that would mean somebody not being in the Tea Bar.

 

Interviewer:

It sounds to me, as though we mean that there’s a bit more time to run a better service. It means that it’s able to reach out a bit more and perhaps even spend a little bit more time chatting to people than you might have got otherwise

 

Pat Moreno:

Chatting doesn’t happen so much simply because it’s so busy when I’m upstairs doing the theatre trolley, then I’m just standing there. So then as people come, then yes, of course I can have a bit of a chat, but they’re also busy because they’re theatre staff. Actually in the cafe, in the tea bar, it literally is full on. So your, you’ve got a queue go in, sometimes all the way down the stairs. So you’re just trying to, you know, get everybody served.

Interviewer:

And what would you say if somebody was thinking about volunteering, what would you say to encourage them to get involved?

 

Pat Moreno:

Oh, I think, I think it’s very rewarding. Personally, I find it rewarding. I quite like the structure. It gives me during the week as well. You know, I have other things that I do, not volunteering, but stuff that I have to do for me. I have a couple of grandkids that I take care of on a certain day pick up from school. So yes, it keeps the structure. So I have really missed it because we stopped being a hospital environment. We were, we were sort of “laid off”, if you like, very early in March, I think maybe even end of February. Once things started to become a bit, you know, active pretty much a year ago. And so my boss there, Vernon, he messaged and he said, don’t worry about coming in because things are very quiet because by then the people who were coming, they didn’t want to hang around in there in the Tea Bar waiting, for, you know, their, their family were there having an appointment, normally they’d sit, have a cup of tea, a cake and read the paper while they waited and people didn’t want to hang around, particularly in hospitals. So people were coming on time for their appointment and their, their driver, if you like was waiting in the car. So then, and said, you know, it was just, it was so quiet there. It just wasn’t worth an extra member of staff because she was already paying the two.

Interviewer:

Hopefully we’re getting to that point, if you had your vaccine yet?

 

Pat Moreno:

Yes.

 

Pat Moreno:

I had it two weeks ago.

 

Interviewer:

Hopefully, we getting to the point where things may return back to normal. So you’ve had a year off. Do you think you’ll go back to volunteering if that opportunity is there?

 

 

 

Pat Moreno:

Definitely. Definitely. I mean, Vernon has kept in touch, not regular, regular, obviously he’s, he’s still working, but yes. I mean, definitely the, the idea is once things reopen and he needs the extra staff, then, then I will, you know, I haven’t left. I’m still part of the team. Just, you know, there’s no need for me to be there personally for safety reasons. Secondly, it’s not so busy

 

Interviewer:

And one of the things that interests me is, obviously, a significant number of volunteers associated with Friends groups are older. The thing that has really struck me, because we’ve been having these conversations, either through this group, or through other routes with Friends groups all across the country and they are all just waiting to go back. It’s not like they’ve said, “oh, this is now time to collect our P45 and retire” type approach. They’re all saying “no, no, no. As soon as we can get back, we’re back.”

 

Pat Moreno:

Yes, definitely. Definitely.

 

Interviewer:

That’s lovely to hear.

 

Interviewer:

Now is there, anything that you thought you’d like to tell me about that I haven’t given you the opportunity to say yet?

 

Pat Moreno:

No, I don’t think so. I’ve probably talked to you, more than, Waffling on a little bit. I think there’s nothing more. It is the year of those inside with this. I have to think back. but no, I think everything’s fine. The staff are fine.

 

Interviewer:

Really interesting. What we’ll do is, we’ll be back in touch, but thank you ever so much for your time this afternoon and hope you have a good rest of the day. Be in touch soon.