{"id":1484,"date":"2026-10-26T10:15:02","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T10:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nhslothian.scot\/goingtohospital\/?page_id=1484"},"modified":"2026-11-02T11:59:35","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T11:59:35","slug":"bridgebuilders","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.nhslothian.scot\/goingtohospital\/bridgebuilders\/","title":{"rendered":"NHS Bridge Builders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Support attending hospital appointments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Attending hospital appointments can sometimes feel stressful or overwhelming, especially if you are unsure about where to go or what to expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You might feel more at ease having someone else with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bridge Builder volunteers can attend your appointments with you, offering a reassuring presence and practical help to guide you through your visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Support is tailored to individual need and provided on the day of the appointment, from the moment you arrive at the hospital until you are ready to go home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How can a Bridge Builder Volunteer help?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bridge Builder volunteers can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Meet you at an agreed place at the hospital before your appointment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Help you find your way around if you are unsure where to go.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wait with you before your appointment, helping you prepare by noting down any questions you may have.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sit in the appointment with you and act as an \u201cextra pair of ears\u201d. This is completely optional and you can ask them to step out at any time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Spend some time after the appointment, talking things through and ensuring your understanding of next steps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bridge Builders are volunteers and do not replace professional care. They do not provide clinical advice, personal care or transport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How does it work?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you would like a volunteer to attend your appointment with you, please contact the team using the details below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A member of the team will ask you a few questions to understand your needs and ask you to confirm your appointment date, time and location. All information provided will be handled in line with NHS Lothians data protection and confidentiality policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We will aim to match you with a suitable volunteer based on your appointment time, location and any specific needs or preferences you have shared. A member of the team will confirm details with you in advance of your appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About our volunteers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bridge Builders are volunteers who are studying for a career in healthcare. They are recruited, trained and supported by NHS Lothian staff within the Voluntary Services Team and the Medical Education Directorate. All volunteers are members of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme and abide by NHS confidentiality and data protection policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contact the Bridge Builders Programme<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Telephone: 07484 994 286<br>Email: <a href=\"mailto:loth.bridgebuilders@nhs.scot\">loth.bridgebuilders@nhs.scot<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Support attending hospital appointments Attending hospital appointments can sometimes feel stressful or overwhelming, especially if you are unsure about where to go or what to expect. You might feel more at ease having someone else with you. Bridge Builder volunteers can attend your appointments with you, offering a reassuring presence and practical help to guide<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/widewidth.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"class_list":["post-1484","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"davidmcbain","author_link":"https:\/\/www.nhslothian.scot\/goingtohospital\/blog\/author\/davidmcbain\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":false,"rttpg_excerpt":"Support attending hospital appointments Attending hospital appointments can sometimes feel stressful or overwhelming, especially if you are unsure about where to go or what to expect. You might feel more at ease having someone else with you. Bridge Builder volunteers can attend your appointments with you, offering a reassuring presence and practical help to guide","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nhslothian.scot\/goingtohospital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nhslothian.scot\/goingtohospital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nhslothian.scot\/goingtohospital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhslothian.scot\/goingtohospital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhslothian.scot\/goingtohospital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1484"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhslothian.scot\/goingtohospital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1486,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhslothian.scot\/goingtohospital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1484\/revisions\/1486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nhslothian.scot\/goingtohospital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhslothian.scot\/goingtohospital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}