Job vacancy: Outpatients Volunteer, Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, Dartford

Job summary

Main area: Ward Visitor Volunteer
Contract: Voluntary Role only
Hours: Flexible working
Job ref: 252-7299042

Employer: Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Darent Valley Hospital
Town: Dartford
Salary: This is a Voluntary Role and not a paid position
Closing: 19/08/2025 23:59

Outpatients Volunteer

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please note this is a volunteer position and you will not be paid for carrying out this role.

To Liaise with the Nurse in charge/ /co-ordinator of the day, regarding appropriate access to patients prior to any activity/visit.

· Introduce yourself to the patient and say who you are and explain what you are going to do/how you can help them.

· Greet patients to the department confirm if they checked in at the main reception if not help them to check in with the self-check-in machine in the department.

· Help and direct patient to their designated clinic rooms/zones according to the allocation list

· Assist patients completing the FFT survey when they go home after their consultation.

· Help patients to take part in social and recreational activities.

· Listen and chat with patients.

· Please remember you MUST NOT feed any patient. Ensure staff are aware if the patient requires assistance that the carers/volunteers cannot provide.

· Refresh patient water jugs as required

· Any other similar type tasks that may be appropriate, after discussion with the ward manager/matron/or relevant manager.

· Assist our Valley Park Radio volunteer colleagues by making patients aware of VPR. Ask them for music request and pass them on to the VPR team. More information will be given on induction.

Person specification

Education and Training

Essential criteria

No specific qualifications are required
Willingness to undertake Mandatory Training

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

Good understanding of English both written and verbal, with clear communication skills

Experience

Essential criteria

No specific experience is required

Desirable criteria

Previous volunteering or experience of work in a health and social care setting
Experience of working with the public
To share own related experience to support patients

Personal Attributes

Essential criteria

Good interpersonal skills
Presenting as smart and clean
The ability to be friendly, polite and caring with patients, visitors and Trust staff
Understanding the importance of confidentiality
Ability to work on own initiative, and unsupervised at times
Ability to work as part of a team
Reliable and punctual
Available to volunteer for at least 3 hours per week
To embody the Trust’s Values of care with compassion, respect and dignity, striving to excel, professional standards and working together.
To exercise confidentiality and discretion

Our staff are our most valuable asset. We are committed to making staff feel appreciated, supported and included in the Trust’s successes. Our mission is to be an outstanding place to work providing the very best care for our patients and excellent career opportunities for our staff. Everything we do is guided by our core values and behaviours, identified by our staff and embedded throughout the organisation.

Would you like to work flexibly? In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement

We have the highest CQC rating of all Acute NHS Trusts in Kent and Medway (Good). The CQC highlighted that managers promoted a positive culture that supported, valued staff and created a sense of common purpose based upon shared values.

The Trust is a great place to work, stay, develop a career and enjoy a healthy work life balance. We have made and are delivering on a wide range of commitments to staff; health and wellbeing; equality; diversity and inclusion; access to education and career development. During 2020 we sett up quality councils, driven by our staff to create a culture of shared governance and quality improvement.

We have a strong focus on innovation and improvement. Part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ (GSTT) ‘Healthcare Alliance’ we are introducing new models of care to improve clinical outcomes for patients. Our association with GSTT also gives staff wishing to develop their skills excellent opportunities to work across numerous specialities.

As our local population increases, our services and skills are expanding and adapting to meet demand. We are continuously looking at best practice models to enhance and improve the services we offer.

The Trust provides services at Darent Valley Hospital and Queen Mary’s Hospital, for a local population of over 500,000 people.

If you would like to be part of our innovative and forward thinking team putting patients at the centre of all we do, we invite you to #joinourfamily.

The NHS are striving towards “we work flexibly” as a workforce, we want to ensure that you can work in a way that is best for us, our patients, and importantly for you. We offer many flexible working opportunities, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement for you and if it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

Please note this vacancy may close earlier than stated to aid efficient processing of applications. To ensure your application will be considered please submit it at your earliest convenience. If you have not heard from us within 21 days of the closing date please assume that you have not been shortlisted on this occasion.

Please note, that due to the limited number of car parking spaces, car parking permits will be allocated subject to compliance with the Trusts eligibility criteria and availability of spaces. Permit holders are not guaranteed a car parking space.

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust is a smoke free organisation. To improve public health smoking or vaping is not permitted anywhere on the hospital site.

Mindful employer. Being positive about mental health.

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name: Lucy Fox
Job title: Volunteer Co-ordinator
Email address: [email protected]
Telephone number: 01322428392

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Job summary

Employer heading

Outpatients Volunteer

Job overview

Main duties of the job

Working for our organisation

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Person specification

Education and Training

Essential criteria

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

Experience

Essential criteria

Desirable criteria

Personal Attributes

Essential criteria

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

Documents to download

Further details / informal visits contact

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