PALS Volunteer (West Middlesex)

Purpose:

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) team offers information and advice to patients and visitors about our services. PALS are here to help deal with any issues patients may have in complete confidence and with understanding and compassion. That includes complaints, compliments and other feedback.

Duties (what you will be doing):

Be a visible volunteer presence in the PALS team
Listen to patients and their representatives and if appropriate, take down patient concerns as presented at the office
Signpost patients to various areas of the hospital. This might involve walking with the patient to their destination or appointment
Talk to patients about the complaints process and advocacy support for this.
Collect compliments from wards
Log compliments on our database system

Boundaries (what you won’t be doing):

No clinical care of patients
No discussing any results or anything on the request forms with the patients
Not helping with the bereavement process
Not taking phone calls
Not logging concerns or dealing directly to respond to complaints
Not dealing with car parking issues

Time commitment:

Weekdays, 9 am to 5 pm
Volunteers must commit to at least one half-day or full-day shift per week for a minimum of six months

Location

This role is available at both our Chelsea and Westminster Hospital site and our West Middlesex University Hospital site, depending on which is most convenient for you.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, 369 Fulham Rd, London SW10 9NH

West Middlesex University Hospital, Twickenham Rd, Isleworth TW7 6AF

Requirements of the role:

Age: You must be 16 years or older to volunteer in this role

Accessibility: This role is accessible for wheelchair users or people with 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

You will also be:

A confident and flexible communicator
Able to think on your feet to resolve problems
Punctual and reliable
You will sometimes be dealing with distressed and emotional people – strong people skills and resilience are a must
Team player and ability to develop relationships with colleagues in our operational teams
Any admin experience would be welcomed but is not essential

This role requires an enhanced criminal record (DBS) check and a pre-placement induction

This role requires that you have certain immunisations – we will discuss this with you when you apply

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.

I would like to volunteer

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Volunteering at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust