“The comfort that a moment with an animal can have on someone who is suffering, cannot be underestimated. After a few months of volunteering in the Adults Eating Disorders Unit at Cotswold House, Marlborough, I asked whether they would like another volunteer but of the furrier kind and Maggie, my 6 year old black labrador, (a certified therapy dog) was welcomed with open arms”

Since then, Maggie and I have been popping in on a Thursday when we can. As soon as she enters the hospital with her waggy tail, she puts a smile on everyone we come across.

 

The brilliant staff love to see her and give her a lot of welcome fuss but it is when she is with the patients that Maggie shines.

Maggie spends time in a dedicated room, with any patients that wish to see her and they can, pat, cuddle, stroke her or simply sit in the room with her. She is a brilliant ice breaker, as patients chat to her, me and others about their own experience of pets.

As a therapy dog, Maggie is intuitive, thoughtful and gentle. On one occasion, Maggie walked into a room of patients on the ward and went straight over to one woman and lay her head in her lap. It was a magical moment of connection as this woman, looked up and with tears in her eyes said that she had just lost her own black labrador. She spent precious time with Maggie and said afterwards how lovely it had been to be able to talk and grieve about her own pet whilst holding Maggie.

I work as a therapist and decided to volunteer to give back to the NHS having been a very impressed service user. Having thought that I would only volunteer for a few short months, here Maggie and I are, still volunteering after 10 months with no plans of stopping.

 

I would encourage anyone who has a certified therapy dog/PAT dog to consider volunteering for your local NHS services. To see the impact on patients as they smile, relax and forget the harder things they are going through as they interact with your pet, is a soul warming, life enhancing thing to do!" 

Volunteer Josie & Therapy Dog Maggie at Cotswold House, Marlborough

We would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to Josie and Maggie for all of their valuable time given to support Cotswold House. The difference Volunteers make every day in the NHS is incredible and I think we can all agree the impact of a four legged friend supporting our patients too is something to be celebrated.

 

This is some of the findings report Dogs for Good have kindly shared with us. 

 

The service is an 18-bed in-patient unit, which forms part of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. It is a Tier 4 service, which means it supports the needs of young people with the most complex, severe or persistent mental health problems, including mood disorders, eating disorders and psychosis. Many have also experienced attachment difficulties and trauma, and some have a diagnosis of autism. Dogs for Good is a charity based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, that helps people build connections with dogs that can make everyday life possible — in so many ways.

From the start, the connection between the unit and Dogs for Good felt positive, open and collaborative. 

 

“Dogs for Good were enthusiastic about the project, thoughtful and inclusive in their approach,” says Tori Broom, Senior Occupational Therapist 

“[They] had an open mind about how this could work and a willingness to explore different ideas and see where we could achieve the biggest impact,” says Selina Gibsone, Development Manager at Dogs for Good. 

 

“It felt like a great learning opportunity for us both.” 

Dogs for Good Development Officer Victoria Maclennan-Jones supported the pilot sessions, along with Community Dog Ursa, a black Labrador x Golden Retriever. 

 

“Ursa’s a really charismatic, friendly dog,” 

 

“She wants everyone to get involved. But she’s so calm and empathetic as well. That’s why we thought she’d be perfect for the pilot.”  

“For some of the young people, leaving the unit was difficult,” says Victoria. “Focusing on the dog really helped with that. It also helped the young people to think about each others’ needs – we only went out if everyone felt comfortable. Otherwise, we’d stay in the unit and do something else.”  

“Staff were seeing changes in the patients attending the drop-in sessions,” says Selina. “They were engaging in activities they wouldn’t engage in normally. We thought if we structured things in a different way, we could make the sessions accessible to more young people.”  

In addition to the weekly group sessions, Sarah and Walt were also able to provide one-to-one support for individual patients, for example taking them out for a 20-minute walk around the grounds.

“A lot of the positive impact was about quality of life. Those moments where mood is brighter and that means they feel they can engage better with their treatment programme, or with school. Maybe think about their hopes and what the future could look like. It helped give us a new way in to supporting that young person with their recovery.”

 

Tori Broom, Senior Occupational Therapist and Project Lead

 

For more information on Dogs for Good as an organisation please visit - 

Dogs for Good | Making life possible through connections with dogs

If you would be interested in Volunteering with a registered therapy dog like Maggie, Walt or Ursa, please get in touch with us [email protected] 

 

These are just a few of the many animals making a difference across Oxford Health. 

 

All animals and their handlers need to be registered with the Oxford Health Volunteer Programme. You might be a staff member with a certified animal or a member of the public. Either way Volunteer recruitment is straight forward and ensures all Volunteers and their animals are safe and supported in their roles.