Therapy dog Lucan visits Mid Cheshire Hospitals

Описание: Volunteer Jane Wilson brings her six-year-old English setter dog Lucan into Leighton Hospital once a week to meet patients on Ward 27 and the Frailty Unit.
Mid Cheshire Hospitals is urging more dog owners to sign up for the scheme that allows therapy pets to visit its patients. The Trust wants to encourage people to become a volunteer and bring their amazing animals to Leighton Hospital in Crewe and Elmhurst Intermediate Care Centre in Winsford.
Therapy pets visit wards to support patients’ wellbeing and mental health, offering them the chance to stroke the dogs and chat to their owners. Many patients who are pet owners themselves also find the service comforting if, during a hospital stay, they are missing the companionship of their own animals at home.
All volunteers who bring their dogs to the hospital must first be registered with the charity Pets As Therapy.
The animals do not need any special training. They should be friendly and calm, healthy and well-groomed, love being fussed over, and have up-to-date vaccinations.
As part of the registration process, each dog also undergoes a temperament assessment to ensure their behaviour is suitable to visit the hospital.
If you have a dog that is not currently registered with Pets As Therapy and you would like to volunteer with them at Mid Cheshire Hospitals, please visit the charity’s website for further details on how to sign up at https://petsastherapy.org/
Once your dog is registered with Pets As Therapy, please contact the Mid Cheshire Hospitals Voluntary Services team at [email protected] to sign up as a Trust volunteer.
There is a simple application and recruitment process to complete, including a DBS check which is free for volunteers, and the Trust provides induction training.
Volunteers and their pets only need to give a couple of hours of their time each week.
More information about the Pets As Therapy registration process and requirements is available at https://petsastherapy.org/
For more information about volunteering at Mid Cheshire Hospitals, please visit https://www.mcht.nhs.uk/volunteer or contact [email protected]

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