Volunteers who have given their time to support local NHS services were treated to a Christmas party last week.

Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare (HRCH) NHS Trust has one of the most thriving volunteer programmes in the NHS, with 85 people signed up to give their time for free.

The volunteers carry out a wide range of jobs from reassuring patients, working on reception desks, fundraising for the NHS trust and more recently, have carried out patient surveys to help measure opinion on services in the borough.

Opening the party, Stephen Swords, chairman of HRCH, said: "The way you go about your roles is vital to how patient’s feel about our services.

"Frequently the public using our facilities are anxious and concerned but your interaction with them, a smile or comment, solving a problem or query play a large part in a patient’s experience of our services."

The party took place at the trust's head office in Teddington on Friday, December 12.