What is Medical Appointment Support?
Do you have an appointment that you need to attend, no one to accompany you but don’t want to go alone? GALE befriending can help. Whether it is a local GP / nurse appointment or a hospital appt in Inverness, our befrienders can accompany you, either from home or meet you at your appointment venue. The choice is yours then to decide if you would like to have the befriender come into the consultation with you or wait for you in the waiting room. They are there to offer moral support and companionship at a time when you may need it most.
What Does the Service Involve?
Our service is designed to provide you with compassionate support during your medical appointments. We encourage you to book your appointment with us as early as possible. This allows us to connect you with a befriender and arrange an initial meeting, where you can get to know each other and discuss how you’d like the appointments to proceed.
However, if you need support on short notice, please don’t hesitate to reach out! We are here to assist you as soon as we can.
Once matched, your befriender will accompany you to your medical appointments, ensuring you have the support you need every step of the way.
Who Can Access The Befriending Service?
Anyone over the age of 18 and resident in Gairloch, Loch Ewe area to Badcaul and Ullapool.
How Do I Book?
Individuals and family members may self-refer to BefriendingGALE. Once your referral is received we will arrange a time to chat about what the service can offer you.
If you think that you or someone you know may benefit from Befriending contact Donna:
📞 07796 807076
✉️ volunteering@galeteam.co.uk
Is the Service Confidential?
Yes! We provide a confidential service
Is There A Charge?
No, the service is funded by GALE and Highland Hospice. This funding helps to cover any expenses incurred by the volunteers such as their travel.
Please note – we are not providing a transport service. Our befrienders are providing companionship and moral support only.
Befriending Coordinator
Donna Miller is BefriendingGALE’s Coordinator, she has worked with GALE since 2024. With a strong background in customer service and healthcare, Donna has found her calling in managing all aspects of volunteering within GALE.
The Befrienders
Our dedicated volunteer befrienders are trained by both Highland Hospice and GALE. With that training, they can make a big difference to the general welfare of the people they support.
The volunteers will not become involved in personal care, medical care, counselling, domestic tasks such as cooking or cleaning, nor financial or legal matters. Instead, they provide social and practical support to all individuals in need both during a hospital stay and in their recovery period at home.
A Befriending Service Run By Locals
Everyone needs other people, but not everyone has someone. Befriending offers supportive, reliable relationships through volunteer befrienders to people who would otherwise be socially isolated. BefriendingGALE provides effective support for children and young people, families, people with mental ill-health, people with learning disabilities and older people, amongst many others.
The results of befriending can be very significant. Befriending often provides people with a new direction in life, opens up a range of activities and leads to increased self-esteem and self confidence. Befriending can also reduce the burden on other services which people may use inappropriately as they seek social contact.
Support Us
A donation of £12 will cover the travelling expenses for 1 volunteer for 1 month and provide essential support for those in need.
If you would like to help us, please tell your friends and family about us, and consider donating to the befriending service by sending a donation:
Thank you for your support.
Contact Us
If you need someone to talk to or would like more information, please enquire confidentially via the form below.