Volunteering at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust

Purpose:

Over a quarter of five year olds in London have experienced tooth decay, a preventable disease. Last year, over 26,000 primary school children in England needed a general anaesthetic to have teeth removed. In London, 20% of children in Reception and 40% of children in Year Six are overweight.

Role:

In this exciting role alongside the Public Health Team, you have a unique opportunity to support children and their families with healthy lifestyles through fun, interactive sessions and prevent young children from developing new tooth decay and becoming overweight. This includes running creative activities, supervised toothbrushing and using props and storybooks.

The role serves different paediatric wards, outpatient clinics and day-case settings that support children from ages 0 to 18 with various conditions ranging from minor ailments, such as viral coughs through to serious and life-limiting conditions, such as cancer. Some children are with us only for a day or two; others may be here for weeks at a time.

You will be trained and supported by the Oral Health Co-ordinator and Public Health Clinical Fellow, who will be on-hand if you require any advice or help.

Together, we can look forward to providing children with the best start in life and the foundations of good health into adulthood.

Duties (what you will be doing):

• Supervising children brushing their teeth (or parents/carers brushing their child’s teeth)
• Engaging children with story books, creative activities and games for healthy lifestyle choices
• Supporting pregnant women and new mothers to care for their children’s teeth and diet
• Recording data for children you have seen on the wards and clinics
• Appropriately displaying posters and videos throughout the hospital
• Monitoring and replacing stocks of leaflets, toothbrushes, toothpastes etc.

Boundaries (what you will NOT be doing):

• Clinical care of patients
• Preparing children for procedures
• Parenting
• Hands-on personal care (e.g. toileting, getting patients changed)
• Dressing changes
• Dispensing clinical advice (You will receive training in appropriate public health messages)
• Heavy or complex lifting
• Pushing patient beds.

Time commitment:

• The service is open on weekdays from 8 am to 5 pm (volunteers must do a shift of at least 3 hours during these times)
• Volunteers must commit to at least one shift per week for a minimum of six months.

Requirements of the role:

Age: You must be 18 years or older to volunteer in this role.

Accessibility: This role may not be suitable 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 your 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 will have a strong sense of boundaries
• Experience of working with children is desirable but not a must
• You may see children who are distressed and in pain. The oral health co-ordinator will be available to contact via phone or email to support you if required.

Pre-placement checks and training:

• This role requires an enhanced criminal record (DBS) check and a pre-placement induction
• This role requires you to have certain immunisations – we will discuss this when you apply
• You will receive a core volunteering induction
• You will receive a local induction on the ward, which includes training on child safeguarding
• You will receive hands-on training in oral health and nutrition for the role, including shadowing to ensure you are comfortable.

Supervisors:

Your supervisor will be responsible for supporting you in your day-to-day volunteering.  You can go to them for any help and support during your actual volunteering shift.

Oral Health Co-ordinator:

The oral health co-ordinator will be available to contact via phone or email to help you with any questions you may have and support you in this role.

Personal development:

This is an excellent opportunity to develop your communication skills, empathy and understanding of good oral health and nutrition, familiarising you with health promotion. This is a rewarding role that provides great experience for a career in health & social care or therapies.