A CUT and blow dry is not the sort of service you might expect to be offered during a stay in hospital.

But it has become a monthly treat for patients on a ward at St Woolos Hospital in Newport, thanks to a link-up between a volunteer service and students at a Coleg Gwent campus.

The day room on Gwanwyn Ward at St Woolos is transformed into a ‘salon’ where older patients – who can be in hospital for considerable lengths of time – can have their hair cut, styled and blow dried by students on a hair and beauty course at the Cross Keys campus.

The service is a spin-off of the successful and popular Robins volunteer programme set up at St Woolos in 2008 by Age Cymru with the then Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust, now Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.

“We had 19 patients at the first session (in February) and it’s become so popular we’ve had to start an appointment book,” said Robins co-ordinator Christine Tucker.

“People were queuing out of the door, and we’ve even got some of the men asking for a trim!

“It’s great to see so many patients enjoying having their hair done, because some of them can be in here for a long time.

“Appearance is important in contributing to how people feel about themselves, and when we asked patients what they would like to have available to them, hairdressing was a popular request.

“I got in touch with the hair and beauty department at Cross Keys, and arranged for some of their students and tutors to come down once a month and it’s been great.”

Course tutor Andrea Sparkes said the sessions have been valuable for and popular among, the students too.

“It’s a good learning experience for them, something different to what they would normally be doing,” she said.

“Some of them don’t get to cut elderly people's hair, and it’s helping improve their communication skills.”

Robins volunteers help co-ordinate the sessions, just one of a range of tasks they perform on three wards at St Woolos.

The programme started on one ward there, and has expanded to A&E and the medical assessment unit, and a couple of wards at the Royal Gwent Hospital.

Robins volunteers assist patients who need help at meal times, help with hair and nail care, and they chat and read to patients. They also help with letter writing, phone calls, and shopping.

“We do activities like bingo and singing too,” said Mrs Tucker.

“Patients, especially the more elderly ones, can be in here for long periods of time and some of them get very infrequent visits or no visits at all so the Robins are like friendly faces for them.

“Other wards are asking for us, which is a measure of the effectiveness of the service, but it’s down to funding, and how many volunteers we have.

“We’ve had a recruitment drive in recent years and have around 60 people now, across all ages. Our oldest volunteer is 91.

“Training, in things like health and wellbeing, food hygiene, and dementia are provided, and we ask for a minimum commitment of one morning a week.”

Anyone interested in volunteering as a Robin, can find more information at www.ageuk.org.uk/cymru/gwent/our-services/robins---hospital-volunteers/ or by telephoning 01633 234129, or e-mailing robins@agecymrugwent.org