Hospital volunteer says it led to career change

A hospital volunteer who found a new career in his 60s is encouraging others to give their time to the NHS, after it helped him secure a permanent role.

Mark Harvey began volunteering with South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust in 2024, supporting the clinical engineering team.

The 62-year-old former care support worker said the experience helped him develop new skills, gain confidence and a better understanding of the NHS workplace, which he drew upon in the interview when a post as medical device library operative came up.

He said volunteering "has shown me that opportunities can come along at any stage of life if you're prepared to put yourself forward".

Harvey now works at South Tyneside District Hospital for Choice, a subsidiary of the trust, which provides management, procurement, and outpatient pharmacy services.

The role involves preparing and maintaining a range of medical equipment - cleaning, testing and charging devices such as infusion pumps and nebulisers to ensure they are working correctly.

He said: "If anyone is considering volunteering, I'd say give it a go - I'm in my 60s and never thought I'd be able to start a new career, but this experience has shown me that opportunities can come along at any stage of life if you're prepared to put yourself forward.

"Volunteering was a great way to see what the role was really like and understand what it involved.

"It gave me the chance to meet the team, learn new skills and gain valuable experience - I think that gave me confidence and helped me succeed."

The trust has 183 volunteers who carry out roles such as helping people find their way, providing information about cancer, helping on wards and pets as therapy volunteers.

It said the range of roles give local people the "chance to gain valuable experience, develop new skills and make a difference to patients, staff and visitors".

There are also 27 Royal Voluntary Service volunteers and 68 League of Friends volunteers.

John Wall, head of clinical engineering and medical device safety officer at Choice, said: "During his time as a volunteer, Mark embraced every opportunity to develop his skills and quickly became a valued member of the department.

"We're delighted that he successfully secured a permanent role."

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