Adult Ward Helper (West Middlesex)
Overview: This is a very popular role as it provides patient contact and good insight and experience of working in a hospital. The role provides the ward with an extra pair of hands, assisting with non-clinical tasks such as chatting to patients, distributing meals, making drinks and running errands for staff and patients. There are a variety of wards to volunteer on and each ward is different.
Availability: Volunteering shifts are available on weekdays (morning or afternoon), evenings and also weekends, depending on your availability.
Time commitment: You must be available for at least one volunteering shift of around 3 hours per week, for at least six months.
Requirements of the role:
Age: You must be 16 years or older to volunteer in this role
Accessibility: This role is accessible to people with wheelchairs or who have other mobility issues
As a volunteer you will embody the Trust’s values:
- Putting patients first
- Responsive to, and supportive of, patients and staff
- Open, welcoming and honest
- Unfailingly kind, treating everyone with respect, compassion and dignity
- Determined to develop our skills and continuously improve the quality of care
Skills and other requirements:
- You must be self-motivated; with an ability to think on your feet and work independently
- You must be punctual and dependable
- You must have a professional and friendly demeanour
- You must be flexible and eager to learn
- You need a thick skin. Some patients might be distressed, and seeing patients with delirium or dementia can be distressing for some
Pre-placement checks and training:
- You must have an enhanced criminal record check (DBS) for this role. If you do not have one already then we can organise and pay for one.
- This role requires that you have certain immunisations and you will need to complete a health declaration form – we will discuss this with you when you apply.
- You will receive a core volunteering induction.
- You will also receive a local induction and orientation. This will include any training that is relevant to perform your tasks on the specific ward.
Volunteering Services Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
To be a transformational service which positively impacts the lives of our patients, staff and volunteers.
We care: We care for our patients, our colleagues, volunteers and for ourselves. We put welfare above service delivery. We actively seek opportunities to support social justice and social mobility, and to address inequalities.
We share: We share in each other's successes, we share information and updates, we share victories and challenges, and we share responsibility.
We innovate: We don’t settle for the status quo. We embrace change. We seek to learn from others, from quantitative data and from qualitative feedback. We iterate.
We give and accept feedback: Feedback is a continuous part of how we communicate and work with one another.
We are accountable: We take responsibility for our actions and learn from our mistakes.
We recognise our boundaries: We ask for help we need it. We maintain a healthy work-life balance.
