Job summary
- Main area
- Volunteer
- Grade
- Voluntary
- Contract
- Voluntary
- Hours
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 277-7749764-VOL
- Employer
- Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Green Parks House
- Town
- Orpington, Kent
- Closing
- 05/02/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Volunteer Gardner Green Parks House
Voluntary
Job overview
To assist in the weekly care of a small garden by undertaking garden maintenance i.e. replanting, weeding, deadheading, caring for shrubs/plants mowing, strimming and general upkeep of the gardens. It is unlikely there will be any patient contact in the garden.
Main duties of the job
Under supervision and guidance from the placement supervisor(s) to perform the following tasks-
- Help with general gardening duties, strimming, general tiding up of the garden, planting, weeding.
- Chatting to patients and encourage them to do light duties in the garden.
- Behaving at all times in a professional manner.
- Be confident when communicating with persons who may have specific difficulties, such mental illness.
- You must adhere to health and safety procedures around using gardening equipment, and monitor the use of tools by counting them out and back in at the end of the session
Working for our organisation
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.
We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
- We’re Kind
- We’re
- We Listen
- We Care
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To assist in the weekly care of a small garden by undertaking garden maintenance i.e. replanting, weeding, deadheading, caring for shrubs/plants mowing, strimming and general upkeep of the gardens. It is unlikely there will be any patient contact in the garden.
Under supervision and guidance from the placement supervisor(s) to perform the following tasks-
- Help with general gardening duties, strimming, general tiding up of the garden, planting, weeding.
- Chatting to patients and encourage them to do light duties in the garden.
- Behaving at all times in a professional manner.
- Be confident when communicating with persons who may have specific difficulties, such mental illness.
- You must adhere to health and safety procedures around using gardening equipment, and monitor the use of tools by counting them out and back in at the end of the session
Person specification
communication
Essential criteria
- Excellent Communication Skills Required
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Applicant must have a good understanding of gardening duties.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Previous experience of gardening would be ideal.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Paul Buckingham
- Job title
- Voluntary Services Co-ordinator
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 020 8836 8510
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