November 5 marks eight years since the Friends of the Emergency Department pilot scheme commenced at Auckland Hospital with just seven volunteers. Now, more than 800 Friends of the Emergency Department volunteer at 18 hospitals throughout New Zealand.

The volunteers provide comfort to patients in hospital emergency departments at: Auckland City Hospital, Middlemore Hospital, North Shore Hospital, Waitakere Hospital, Thames Hospital, Waikato Hospital, Rotorua Hospital, Tauranga Hospital, Whakatane Hospital, Gisborne Hospital, Hawkes Bay Hospital, Palmerston North Hospital, Nelson Hospital, Wairau Hospital, Christchurch Hospital, Timaru Hospital, Dunedin Hospital and Southland Hospital.

The sole remaining volunteer from the founding group at Auckland Hospital is Colleen Moses.

St John Friends of Emergency Department Manager Michael Bancroft will visit the volunteers on shift at Auckland Hospital on 5 November to mark the special day.