Clinic Hospital Volunteer Volunteer Roles

About the project: 

The Helpdesk Project is a unique initiative where trained volunteers offer information on local services and peer support to people attending MS clinics at the Walton Centre in Liverpool.

More than 130,000 people live with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the UK. Every one of them shares the uncertainty of life with MS.

People are most likely to find out they have MS in their thirties, forties and fifties; news that can be worrying and heartbreaking. Having somebody who has local knowledge and can signpost to information and services can provide vital support to people at the start of their MS journey.

About the role:

Do you have good organisational and communication skills?

We are looking for a volunteer who could help with recruiting and supporting other volunteers within the project. Please see the Role Description for more details about the tasks you may be involved in.

Time and Commitment

We are looking for volunteers who can offer two or three hours a week.

This role can be carried out at home and we would also like you to attend the hospital help desk on an occasional basis 

There will also be quarterly volunteer support sessions you will be asked to attend.

Training and support:

You’ll receive role-specific training and support from the MS Support Team and the Regional Development Officer.

Voluntary Trained Observer Healthwatch Hounslow

What is Healthwatch?  

Healthwatch Hounslow is an independent organisation set up to champion the views of health and social care service users. It strives to make sure that health and social care services are meeting local needs and to ensure that the public’s voice is heard regarding how local services are run.

About the Role  

Healthwatch services have a statutory function to carry out Enter & View visits to health and care services to review services at the point of delivery. This involves visiting with a team of representatives to observe the service, view the premises, and talk to both staff, patients/residents, carers, and relatives. Visits involve using all the senses and going through questions and surveys. Enter & View visits often take place at care homes but can cover a range of services such as hospital wards, community clinics, and support groups. 

You will receive full training on how to perform an Enter & View visit. 

Tasks 

• Visiting and scrutinizing health and care facilities (remotely and in person) through 2–4-hour visits. 

• Talking with patients, residents, carers, relatives, and staff and gathering their feedback and views through in person interviews, surveys, and questionnaires and gathering these through emails and phone calls 

• Attending planning and debriefing meetings

• Writing up notes and helping to draft the Enter & View report 

• Examining the feedback and findings and offering an analysis of these to inform recommendations 

• Presenting reports and findings at external meetings 

Is this role right for me?  

What we are looking for: 

• Tact and diplomacy 

• Observational skills coupled with a desire to improve the quality of services 

Would be a bonus: 

• Experience working with vulnerable, disadvantaged people and those with long-term health and care needs 

• An understanding of the role of Healthwatch 

• An understanding of the role of ‘Enter & View’ within Healthwatch Hounslow 

Time Commitment 

• Enter & Views are formal, structured visits that happen approximately once every 2 months. During the lead-up to, and the actual visit itself, a half to full day is required each week for a short period (approx. 3-4 weeks).

• Typically, we carry out a minimum of 6 visits each year. 

• Skills and experience of Enter & View build during each visit. We suggest E&V volunteers are committed to long-term involvement in Healthwatch Hounslow to benefit from what this role has to offer. 

Travel Commitment 

• Visits can happen to services across the borough of Hounslow. You must be willing and able to travel across the borough–sometimes this could be up to 1.5 hours. 

• Other aspects of the role (e.g. writing up notes) can be done from the office or home. 

Our Education speakers help us reach thousands of children and young people in Primary schools and youth groups, sharing knowledge about responsible pet ownership and dog safety. Join our team of confident, committed and self-motivated speakers to make a real difference to the lives of pets by helping us educate the next generation. We provide full training, fantastic resources and pre-designed presentations together with lots of support to help you make the most of your volunteering. If you love pets, enjoy working with children and find it rewarding to educate young people about pet care, this role is for you

Volunteer role: Education Speaker

Volunteer manager: Education Officer

Where you will be based: Community (in Norwich, Kings Lynn & genral Nofolk area. Also needed in Tiverton, Devon) 

Why we want you

Sick, injured and homeless pets have relied on Blue Cross for help since 1897. Each year, thousands of dogs, cats, small pets and horses turn to the charity’s animal hospitals, clinics and rehoming services for treatment and support.

Our Volunteer Education Speakers provide an informative and influential service by talking to children in Primary schools and youth groups about responsible pet ownership and dog safety which enables us to improve the lives of thousands of pets. This role is for speakers who will visit and deliver talks to Primary schools and youth groups in their local area. We would love you to join us and help us help more pets in need

What you will be doing

• Having an informal chat with the team prior to selection
• Training online via e-learning to become an Education speaker
• Contacting Primary schools using details we have given you to arrange all the details for your talks
• Visiting Primary school and youth groups in your local area
• Delivering interactive presentations and fun talks to groups of children at Primary schools during the day, and youth groups such as Brownies and Cubs during the evening.
• Delivering a minimum of one talk per half school term
• Using Assemble, our online volunteering system to accept talk requests, tell us how they went and keep in touch with us

The skills you need

• To be a confident public speaker; happy to deliver PowerPoint presentations and talk to sometimes large numbers of children and young people in schools and youth groups
• To be self-motivated and happy to organise talks from details we have given you
• To be computer literate as you will need to complete your training online, deliver our pre-designed presentations and use our online volunteering system to keep in touch
• To enjoy teaching and working with young people and have a keen interest in pet care and dog safety
• To have access to your own car or reliable public transport
• To have daytime availability during term-time

What's in it for you

• A chance to inspire young people to make better choices for pets
• You’ll be home-based, getting involved with influencing pet care within your local community
• You’ll use your skills such as customer service, communication and team working
• We’ll provide you a Blue Cross Polo shirt and ID, with all the training you need, including our GUEST customer service training, e-learning on the work of Blue Cross, basic pet care and tips on speaking to children and young people
• You’ll join a great team of like-minded people with closed social network groups and (optional) annual volunteer meet-ups
• You'll receive ongoing support and training through webinars and a regular newsletter

Disclaimer

Online training can take several weeks so you will need to commit to training before you can fully get stuck into your role. We also ask volunteers to commit to a minimum of one talk per half term. You will need to have term-time daytime and ideally some evening availability. You'll need to be 17 or older for this role. You must have access to your own car or reliable public transport. Talks are delivered in person within a 20 mile radius of your home. Expenses are available. As this role involves liaising with children and young people, you will need to be prepared to undertake a DBS check. If you are using your own vehicle we will also need to complete some licence, insurance, MOT and tax checks. Blue Cross holds inclusion as a core organisational value. We positively encourage applications from eligible volunteers regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, transgender status, religion or belief, marital status or pregnancy and maternity. We actively embrace our differences and know that it is our differences that make us unique. You are very welcome at Blue Cross, without the need to hide any part of who you are.