A ‘thank you’ event for members of the ELFT telephone befriending service has been held to acknowledge and celebrate the contribution of all team members in providing vital support to those who need it.
The event was held at Robert Dolan House, the Trust headquarters in East London, on July 14 and attended by nearly 20 members of the befriending team.
Chief executive Paul Calaminus opened the event and shared his personal thanks for their work.
The ELFT service was launched in April 2020 during the first COVID pandemic lockdown, providing a friendly voice at the end of the phone for anyone feeling isolated.
The service, which is delivered by paid ELFT service users, has continued to expand post-lockdown. It is now permanent and the team of 30 befrienders are helping people of all ages and backgrounds.
“Our befrienders are phenomenal and it was an absolute pleasure to thank so many of them in person for their incredible work,” said befriending service lead and service user Matt Preston.
“They reach out and make a genuine difference to the lives of service users. I am incredibly proud of each and every member of the team.”
The service is open to anyone over the age of 18 using ELFT services.
People can ask to be connected with the team through the ELFT service supporting them, or clinical teams can refer people they think would benefit from contact by the befrienders.
The team support people of all ages, from young mums to the elderly, and many of the befrienders speak a second language. They also provide calls to service users receiving inpatient care.
The befriending service telephones are manned by service users and carers who have been trained and DBS checked. The team also connect with a responsible clinician for every service user, so any risks can be raised.
The befriending service can be contacted by emailing elft.befriendingservice@nhs.net