Nursing Volunteer Roles

Marie Curie and South Warwickshire Hospital have joined together to offer a companions service to support people at the end of life. Spending time with patients and/or their relatives, we’re looking for volunteers to provide emotional support, a listening ear, and to simply be there for people at this very difficult time

Your role will include some of, but is not restricted to, the following duties:

• Spending time with patients of South Warwickshire hospital who have been identified as nearing the end of their life and providing support for them and their loved ones. 
• Sitting with a patient when their loved ones need a break. 
• Liaising with hospital staff and keeping the companions volunteer coordinator updated with any significant updates with the patient by telephone or in person. 
• Writing and submitting a brief report after each patient or family you support 
• Explaining clearly the Companions Volunteer role and making sure that families are aware of the services provided by the hospital to families of dying patients 
• Covering a regular 3 hour weekly shift. 
• Understand the need for boundaries and work within the boundaries set out. 
• Attending ongoing mandatory training sessions and reflective meetings

What skills or experience do you need? 

• A compassionate and sensitive nature. 
• The confidence to communicate effectively with all staff, patients and visitors. 
• Respect confidentiality • Are aware of their own emotions and manage them with the support available 
• Are physically fit enough to walk the length and breadth of the hospital site 
• Are able to use their initiative and work in a sensible, safe and appropriate manner. 
• Are good time keepers, providing regular volunteering shifts, and producing clear feedback forms after each visit to a patient. 
• Communicate effectively with the Companions Coordinator 
• Have the ability and inclination to work as part of a team, or on their own. 
• Attend pre-arranged meetings and ongoing training sessions, some of which are mandatory.  
• Wear the Marie Curie lanyard and ID at all times whilst on shift.

Opportunity to Make a Difference: Become a Trustee at St. Luke's Hospice

St. Luke's Hospice is here for our local community when and where they need us. As a Hospice we provide compassionate care and work to ensure equity of access to those in the communities we support, whose illnesses are no longer curable.

Our care ensures dignity and empowers people to make the choices they want from the moment they are diagnosed. We provide support from our two Hospices (Basildon and Thurrock) as well as out in the community at a person’s place of residence, when needed. Our team is made up of various health and social care professionals, many of whom work with us on a voluntary basis.

Our organisation is going through an important and exciting period of transformational change, and we are looking to recruit new Trustees to be part of this on a voluntary basis and to help diversify skills and lived experiences that our Board has.

Our Board are collectively responsible for the overall governance and strategic direction of the charity working with the Chief Executive and Executive Team. 

We would welcome applications from individuals from a range of backgrounds (private/public/third sector) who have experience of working at a senior level with or without board experience. For an informal discussion about joining our Board, feel welcome to contact Eileen Marshall, Chief Executive.

Role Details

• Salary: The role is unremunerated, but reasonable expenses will be reimbursed.
• Contract: Trustees are appointed to the Board which is renewable annually at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
• Time Commitment: There will usually be up to eleven meetings a year at 4-6 week intervals. Meetings are currently scheduled for Wednesdays and last for 2 hours. Board members are expected to attend at least eight meetings a year and actively contribute to discussions.
• Location: St. Luke's Hospice, Basildon and possible hybrid arrangements available.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with fellow Trustees and the Executive Team, to set and review strategic goals.
• Ensuring the hospice complies with its governing document, charity law, and any other relevant legislation or regulations.
• Attend Trustee meetings (in-person or remotely), which are approximately every 6 weeks and also represent the organisation at external events or other meetings.
• Being an ambassador for St. Luke’s Hospice, promoting its values and work within the wider community.
• Actively contributing to Board meetings and Sub-Committees with insight, perspective, and expertise.

About You:

• Commitment to the mission and values of St. Luke's Hospice.
• Experience in HR, Digital/IT, commercial retail management or clinical.
• Excellent communication, teamwork, and leadership skills.
• A passion for making a difference in the community and improving the lives of those facing life-limiting illnesses.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively within a team and independently when necessary.

Belonging, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion:

At St Luke's Hospice, we are committed to creating an inclusive Board that promotes and values diversity. We particularly invite applications from disabled, LGBTQ+ and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented. We have procedures in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at all stages of the recruitment process, including the consideration of access requirements for individuals with disabilities.

Overview

Healthwatch Greenwich aims to provide a befriending service to support individuals in need of companionship and emotional support.

Our befriending service will pair clients with volunteers who will talk to them for up to an hour each week. This could be face to face, by telephone, or online.

Befrienders will signpost clients to wider activities as appropriate.

What You'll Do: 

· You will be working closely with the Volunteer Coordinator to: 

· Offer  face-to-face, phone, or virtual befriending support for up to one hour per week for three months.

· Write befriending updates after each meeting.

· Collect demographic information.

· Attend monthly support sessions.

What You'll Learn: 

· How to improve your communication skills.

· How to use active listening.

· How to find activities for clients.

· How to write client updates and gather demographic data.

We offer a comprehensive induction and training to support you to carry out this role please note all volunteers undergo reference and DBS checks.

Why we need your help

• To enable us to provide a rehabilitation and enablement service to patients in their own homes.

• To promote independence and support to help someone to achieve their goal

• Increase patients’ self-confidence and ability to self-manage their difficulties or symptoms.

What activities will you be involved in as part of this volunteer role?

You will be providing rehabilitation for patients in their own home. This may include;

· Helping with exercises that may make things easier for them at home (for example standing from a chair)

· Supporting people to manage their breathlessness

· Helping a patient to put some techniques into practice that may help with day to day activities.

· Helping someone to mobilise

Other activities include;

· Attending a joint visit with the therapist to be introduced to the patient and the exercises they will be doing.

· Dealing sensitively and politely with patients that you visit at home.

· Respect that you are in someone’s home and acting appropriately.

· Arranging further visits as agreed with the patient and the therapist within agreed hours.

· Promoting rehabilitation in all of your interactions with both patients and their families.

· Contacting the Living Well at Home team prior to and directly after a visit to ensure your safety at all times.

· Complete the visit report and submit it to the Living Well at Home team on the same day as the visit.

You will not be involved in the following;

· Toileting or personal care.

What you can gain from volunteering in this role

• Know you are helping dying people in your local community have access to care and support, whenever and wherever they need it.

• Experience of rehabilitation and really helping to make a difference to someone’s quality of life

• Opportunity to meet and work with interesting and diverse people

• Join an enthusiastic team, meet new people and get more involved in your local community

• Use and develop your skills, enhancing your CV if that is important to you

• Know you are helping dying people in your local community have access to care and support, whenever and wherever they need it.

Training and support provided

• An Introduction to Supporting People at End of Life training, date to be confirmed.

• Staff and volunteer induction training (covering all mandatory training)

• Living Well at Home Project training. Up to 1 day, at the Sydenham site or by zoom, depending on your availability. (Training is flexible at present and we will try and fit in with your availability)

• Ongoing informal training specific to the patient that you are visiting

• Monthly supervision sessions with the Living Well at Home team.

• Contact with the Living Well at Home team for support or questions regarding the patient/family at any time during working hours.

• Reasonable travel expenses will be paid

• Support from the Volunteering team including a regular e-newsletter

• Volunteer handbook and volunteer workbook

• Regular updates and training through MyImpact

We are looking for someone who is

· Approachable and friendly and able to get on well with people of many different backgrounds

· Caring and committed to help improve the quality of life for our patients

· Able to work in a professional manner with patients who have a terminal illness

· Capable of completing entries in patient files and updating other written documents as instructed

· Enthusiastic about learning and keen to develop new skills

· Reliable and can be flexible in the offer of time

• Able to follow our policies and procedures to keep you, our staff, our patients and our customers safe

• Able to represent St Christopher’s and our values positively.

Anything else you need to know

• There is a short settling in period to see if the role is right for you

• This role will require pre-volunteering checks, which will include a DBS Check. Having a criminal conviction will not necessarily prevent you from volunteering with us. Every situation is assessed on an individual basis.

• At St Christopher’s we believe that no volunteer should be out of pocket because of their volunteering. The reimbursement of reasonable out of pocket expenses incurred whilst volunteering will help ensure volunteering is accessible.

Commitment to volunteering

Signing up to be a volunteer with St Christopher’s Hospice is a big commitment and requires lots of training and support from the organisation. With this in mind, ideally you would be able to volunteer with us for a minimum of a year. We would also ask that you to inform your manager if you are unable to attend your shift with as much notice as possible.

Equality and diversity

St Christopher’s recognises the qualities and strengths that a diverse group of volunteers bring to the organisation and we therefore particularly welcome applications from underrepresented groups within the local communities and from a range of different cultures and backgrounds.

We are looking for a Chair with knowledge of UK midwifery care and maternity provision with charity governance, leadership skills and experience to help us grow and keep increasing our impact.

Help midwives and student midwives make a difference to the care of babies, mothers and birthing people. 

The main responsibilities of the Chair of Trustees are to:

• Coordinate the activities of the Iolanthe Midwifery Trust and its trustees
• Take the lead on ensuring that the trustees comply with their duties
• Ensure the charity is well governed, according to the requirements of the Charity Commission
• Oversee the awards process and host the Awards Ceremony
• Oversee the financial affairs of the Trust, working with the Financial Trustee, the Executive Director and the auditors

You will be supported by an Executive Director (part-time), Administrator (part-time).

As a UK-wide organisation the work of the Chair will be largely home-based (including video conferencing), but face-to-face meetings and liaison with other organisations may be required at times.

The Iolanthe Midwifery Trust welcomes candidates from a diverse background and from historically excluded communities. We recognise that candidates may have disabilities and health challenges, both visible and invisible.  We are happy to make any reasonable adjustments at any stage in the process

We have a comprehensive trustee induction process in place to support you in your new role.

Knowledge and experience of UK midwifery care and maternity provision will be of great advantage to the role.