End of life volunteers

ESNEFT Butterfly Volunteers

Who we are

At ESNEFT our End of Life volunteers are called ‘Butterfly Volunteers’.

The Butterfly Service emerged in 2019, originally in partnership with the Anne Robson Trust and is a well-established ESNEFT service. Anne Robson Trust website (Opens in a new window).

The Butterfly Service is entirely funded by Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals Charity. Colchester & Ipswich Hospitals Charity (Opens in a new window)

The Butterfly Service work within the ESNEFT Palliative and End of Life Care Teams.

What our Butterfly Volunteers do

Our Butterfly Service co-ordinators manage a team of specially trained, dedicated, compassionate and highly skilled Butterfly Volunteers who offer a bedside sitting service for end of life patients.  We currently have around 15 – 20 Butterfly Volunteers at each main hospital site.

Some of the Colchester and Ipswich Butterfly volunteers

The Butterfly Bedside Sitting Service provides company and support to hospital patients in the last days and hours of their lives, as well as supporting their families/carers, ensuring that every person receives the compassion and comfort they wish for at the end of their life.

Most importantly our volunteers give their time.

At the bedside our volunteers may:

• sit quietly
• hold a hand
• give reassuring touches on the shoulder or arm
• talk to the patient if they are alert
• read either a book or recite some poetry
• play gentle music
• offer reassuring words such as ‘you are safe, you are being looked after’ especially if a patient appears distressed or agitated
• give one of our crocheted or knitted blankets/hearts/worry worms/finger teddies, which are lovingly handmade and donated by the Blanketeers (both of which have social media Facebook pages for more information)
• chat to relatives if present, allowing them to reminisce and talk with their loved one about special memories
• offer parking permits to relatives
• leave a Butterfly ‘Visiting Card’, which states who visited and when. If relatives are present, we also invite them to fill in the card about what their loved one’s likes and dislikes are
• signpost to the Butterfly Centre for further support away from the ward
• liaise with the nursing staff and be an advocate for the patient
• take pressure off the nursing staff by being able to give undivided attention (non-clinical) to their end of life patients

If you are interested in finding out more about Butterfly Volunteers please email the Butterfly Volunteers team.

Please follow the Butterfly Centre on X (formally Twitter) (Opens in a new window)

What the Butterfly Centres offer you

A quiet space
We are fortunate to be situated as stand-alone buildings (porta-cabins) and therefore we are away from the everyday busy hospital corridors.

Advice and signposting
We have our own directory that we have compiled with a vast list of support services for our local areas as well as some of the bigger national support services.

Emotional support
We have found that; out of everything, one of the most vital things we can do to support patients, families and carers is offering a listening ear.

Refreshments
Our centres are equipped with a small kitchen area and we are able to offer tea or coffee, which we all know helps to get conversations started.

Drop in
We offer a drop in service for:

• any patient who has received a life-limiting diagnosis and their families/carers
• relatives who have had a bereavement
• ESNEFT staff
• the local community

Where the Butterfly Centres are located

We have a Butterfly Service and Information Centre at both Ipswich and Colchester Hospitals. Our Butterfly Service co-ordinators work from, and run Butterfly Service Information Centres.

Our centres are open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 3.30pm

Colchester Hospital
Situated outside of the entrance to Gainsborough Wing.

Butterfly Service Colchester mobile: 07342 074 790
Butterfly Service Colchester landline: 01206 742 575
email:- butterfly.volunteers@esneft.nhs.uk

Colchester Butterfly Service and Information Centre

Ipswich Hospital
Situated in front of main outpatients, entrance 6.  Easily identified by the big purple butterfly signage.

Butterfly Service Ipswich mobile:  07342 074 834
Butterfly Service Ipswich landline: 01473 704 334
email:- butterfly.volunteers@esneft.nhs.uk

Ipswich Butterfly Service and Information Centre

We have a dedicated parking space for visitors to the Butterfly Centre and both centres are adjacent to plenty of disabled parking.