University Hospital of North Tees is looking for more people to volunteer as patients, helping medical students practise conversations, examinations and difficult situations in a supervised setting.
A safe place to practise
One of the current volunteers is 66-year-old Carol Granger from Stockton. She gives her time to the hospital’s undergraduate teaching programme, taking on different patient roles so students can work through a before facing similar situations in clinical practice.
A session might involve Carol playing a fictional patient with food poisoning. Students ask questions, consider the information she gives them and carry out an examination while experienced healthcare staff remain available. Other exercises can cover delivering bad news or resolving conflict, giving students space to practise both technical and communication skills.
The volunteer’s part centres on presenting the agreed and responding to the student’s questions. They are not being asked to diagnose a condition or provide clinical teaching themselves. That leaves the student to practise taking a history and carrying out an examination, with qualified staff supervising the exercise. It also gives learners a structured way to approach sensitive conversations before they meet them in day-to-day care.
Carol said volunteers do not need professional acting experience. The provide a structure, while clinical staff offer support. For her, the reward comes from seeing students become more confident as their training develops.
Dr Liam McHale, a GP lecturer who leads undergraduate teaching at the hospital, said volunteers give students the chance to speak to a real person and learn from genuine experiences. also explained that shorter hospital stays can limit the range of conditions students encounter on wards, making planned teaching sessions an important part of their preparation.
Who can take part
The appeal is open to a wide range of people. The Trust says anyone can get involved and describes the commitment as manageable, although its announcement does not specify the length or frequency of individual sessions. Anyone considering the role can ask the undergraduate education team how the timetable works and what support is available.
Volunteers receive free parking and free transport, refreshments and a £30 shopping voucher. These arrangements are intended to remove some of the practical costs of taking part. The Trust has not published a recruitment target, so the opportunity remains an open call rather than a fixed number of .
The teaching supports students gaining experience across North Tees and Hartlepool. The wider hospital group provides hospital and community services to around 400,000 people, so giving future clinicians realistic practice has a clear local relevance. The role is not about replacing clinical care or assessment. It lets learners rehearse safely, with supervision, before applying those skills in real healthcare settings.
How to find out more
People interested in becoming a patient volunteer can contact the Undergraduate Education Department at University Hospital of North Tees on 01642 624295. The NHS announcement does not set out screening requirements, accessibility arrangements or a closing date, so prospective volunteers should use that contact to check the practical details before committing.