Hospital volunteers have been praised for their contributions as part of Volunteers' Week.

There are currently 400 volunteers at Medway NHS Foundation Trust.

Many of them, including Dot Rust, 84, have been volunteering at the hospital for years.

She began volunteering in 1991 at All Saints Hospital, Chatham and started volunteering at Medway Maritime Hospital in 2001.

Working at the hospital for two days a week, her favourite part of the role is "Meeting new people and trying to be as helpful as she can to patients and their families."

A typical day for her involves directing people around the hospital, assisting patients (helping them locate wheelchairs etc), sending out letters and correspondence, and generally providing a friendly face to patients and visitors.

She hopes to carry on volunteering until she is 95.

Zoe Goodman, Voluntary Services Manager, said: "Our volunteers work tirelessly in contributing to the smooth running of our hospital.

"They perform their duties with a selfless approach, and always with a smile on their faces.

"I am so proud of the work carried out by the team who all give so much to improve the experience for our patients."

Trust Chief Executive, James Devine said: "We are very fortunate to have hundreds of volunteers at Medway who give up their free time to support the delivery of the best care to our patients.

"On behalf of the Trust’s board, executive team and 4,000 plus members of staff, I would like to say a big thank you to each and every one of our volunteers for everything that they do."