HOSPITAL bosses are on the look-out for volunteers to help patients at mealtimes.

Dining Companions is a new initiative being run by Dorset County Hospital. And organisers are currently recruiting volunteers to help patients at mealtimes.

A spokesman for the hospital said: "As a dining companion you may give as much or as little time as you can spare - and whichever mealtime suits you, morning, lunchtime or evening.

"Both the patients and staff will be grateful for your help.

"Full training is given and no previous experience is required.

"All we ask is for a willingness to help and a cheerful disposition."

Volunteers will be trained and will assist patients who find it difficult to feed themselves or generally cope with mealtime activity.

"Small tasks such as cutting up food and opening packets, which we all take for granted, can be a real problem for some of our patients," said the spokesman.

Volunteer feeder services have run successfully for several years in many hospitals and the Dorchester scheme will be assessed as part of a study on how volunteering works in hospital.

"We have recently been selected as a pilot project for assessing the impact of volunteers in the NHS under the direction of Volunteering England," said the hospital spokesman.

A spokesman from Volunteering England said: "Although we have anecdotal evidence of the effect of volunteering in the NHS, this project will provide hard evidence about the impact of volunteering on a whole range of NHS priorities, including improving the patient experience and involvement with the local community, and will probably show some unexpected impacts that we hadn't thought about."

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer should contact Sue Stone, patient advice and liaison service manager, on 01305 255262 or email pals@wdgh.nhs.uk for further information. You can also collect an information leaflet from the main reception in the North Wing at the hospital.