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Job summary

Main area
Volunteer
Grade
Not Applicable - Volunteer Post
Contract
Voluntary: Minimum of 3 hours per week
Hours
  • Part time
  • Flexible working
3 hours per week (Volunteer Post)
Job ref
287-VOL-14-25
Employer
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Liverpool University Hospitals - Royal Site
Town
Liverpool
Salary
Volunteer Post
Closing
Today at 23:59

Employer heading

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Ward Based Volunteer - Royal Site

Not Applicable - Volunteer Post

Job overview

Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust is looking to recruit volunteers in various roles in order to enhance patient experience and support staff.  We are currently  looking for volunteers for The Royal Hospital 

We are looking for people with the following attributes

  • Ability to communicate with all groups of people.
  • Friendly, approachable personality.
  • Helpful and accommodating manner.
  • Sensitive, compassionate and tactful nature.
  • Ability to give clear and concise directions.
  • Able to work on own or part of a team.
  • Work in collaboration with the ward staff and other volunteers
  • Work within their role and organisational boundaries.
  • Can provide a minimum of 3 hours per week for a minimum of 6 months
  • Volunteers must be aged 18 and over to volunteer on the wards

**PLEASE ONLY APPLY FOR ONE VOLUNTEERING VACANCY AT A TIME, IF YOU WANT TO BE CONSIDERED FOR BOTH ROLES THAT ARE LIVE PLEASE LET THE MANAGER KNOW AT INTERVIEW**

We reserve the right to close any vacancies from further applications when we have received a minimum number of applications from which to make a shortlist. Please ensure you apply without delay if you wish to be considered for this role. 

Main duties of the job

Volunteers will be expected to adhere to trust policies and procedure especially relating to Infection Prevention and Control.

Below are some of the main duties for our volunteer roles

Ward Volunteer

  • Help improve patient experience by providing a friendly welcome, emotional support, reassurance and companionship to patients and their families.
  • Providing support, companionship and appropriate activities for patients with Dementia or Learning Disabilities
  • Assisting in preparing patients for mealtimes and helping with menu choices.
  • Assisting patients with eating and drinking and providing refreshments to patients
  • Completing basic tasks and assisting patients within the Volunteer Role Boundaries.
  • Running errands for patients to purchase newspapers/magazines/snacks as required.
  • Reading to patients, playing games, completing jigsaws and puzzles
  • Tidying and restocking the information racks and notice boards with appropriate resources under the guidance of the Ward Manager.
  • Acting as an “alerter “to escalate any concerns/issues to the Nursing Team

Working for our organisation

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comprises Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital & Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

We are part of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, formed on 1 Nov 2024 from the coming together of LUHFT and Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust. The Group was born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our patients.

UHLG is one of the largest employers in the region, with over 16,800 colleagues dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond. 

For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services for more than two million people in the North West.

Aintree University Hospital is the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility. Broadgreen Hospital is home to elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation. Liverpool Women’s Hospital specialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK’s largest single site maternity hospital each year. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single bedrooms and focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.

 For roles at Liverpool Women’s, visit their careers page.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

As a Ward Volunteer, your duties will be varied and extensive including:

  • Help improve patient experience by providing a friendly welcome, emotional support, reassurance and companionship to patients and their families.
  • Taking a pack of patient experience surveys to your ward area from the Volunteer Services Office for you to complete surveys with patients to collect data and feedback on the patient’s experience while they have been in hospital.
  • Meeting and greeting patients and visitors to the Ward.
  • Completing basic tasks and assisting patients within the Volunteer Role Boundaries.
  • Assisting patients to pack/unpack their belongings.
  • Providing support, companionship and appropriate activities for patients with Dementia or Learning Disabilities
  • Running errands for patients to purchase newspapers/magazines/snacks as required.
  • Tidying the patient’s bed space (locker tops/tables) to ensure they are clean and tidy.
  • Assisting in preparing patients for mealtimes (tidying space ready to receive meal and assisting patients with hand hygiene).
  • Reading to patients, playing games, completing jigsaws and puzzles
  • Collecting and delivering miscellaneous items between departments: x-rays (Radiology Department), patient belongings (Bereavement Office).
  • Providing refreshments to patients (checking first if patients are allowed fluids).
  • Providing companionship and reassurance to patients who are waiting to be discharged from hospital.
  • Collecting take home medications from the pharmacy to support patient’s discharge. 
  • Tidying and restocking the information racks and notice boards with appropriate resources under the guidance of the Ward Manager.
  • Acting as an “alerter “to escalate any concerns/issues to the Nursing Team

Person specification

Experience

Desirable criteria
  • Previous volunteering or experience of working in a health or social care environment is not required for this role, although any relevant life experiences should be detailed on the application.

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Good interpersonal skills. The ability to be welcoming, friendly, polite and caring with all patients, visitors and Trust staff. To be sensitive, compassionate and have a tactful nature.
  • Good communication skills. Be a good listener and be able to work in collaboration with the ward staff and other volunteers.
  • Ward Volunteers need to be reliable, honest and punctual and work with their role boundaries.

Other

Essential criteria
  • To embody the Trust Values.
  • To exercise confidentiality and discretion

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Fair Employment Charter Status - Aspiring LevelNHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardTrust IDVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleInvestors in PeopleArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Carer confident logo, the employers for carers confident schemeDisability confident committedStep into health

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Deborah Grimes
Job title
Volunteer Co-ordinator
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
0151 706 3170
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