Northern Health Volunteers

As a Special Care Nursery Comfort Program Volunteer, you'll help provide warmth, comfort and reassurance to babies when their families can't be there, while also supporting parents during one of the most important journeys of their lives.
Working alongside our dedicated nursing team, you'll become part of a compassionate program that helps create a calm, caring and nurturing environment for babies and their families.

This is a unique opportunity to:

• Make a meaningful difference in the lives of vulnerable babies and their families.

• Provide comfort and gentle reassurance during an emotional time.

• Support parents with kindness, compassion and practical assistance.

• Become part of a highly valued healthcare team.

• Build meaningful relationships while giving back to your local community.

• Experience the profound reward of knowing your time has helped comfort a baby and support a family.

Under the guidance of Special Care Nursery nursing staff, volunteers may:

• Comfort babies by gently holding, rocking, talking, singing or reading to them.

• Help create a calm and soothing environment for babies requiring extra care.

• Welcome families and visitors, assisting with entry to the nursery following infection prevention procedures.

• Offer refreshments to mothers while they visit their babies, when available.

• Support parents and carers as requested by nursing staff.

• Play educational videos for parents using the nursery's education system.

• Assist families on discharge by helping collect belongings and escorting them to their vehicle.

Volunteers also provide valuable non-clinical support by assisting with tasks such as:

• Photocopying.

• Restocking shelves and supplies.

• Folding linen.

• Preparing mouth care packs.

• Weighing clean nappies.

• Assisting with other administrative or ward duties as requested.

These practical tasks help our nursing staff spend more time providing specialised care to babies and their families.

We're looking for people who are:

• Compassionate, patient and nurturing.

• Comfortable providing emotional support to families experiencing a difficult time.

• Excellent listeners and confident communicators.

• Respectful, empathetic and non-judgemental.

• Reliable, flexible and able to use initiative.

• Able to work independently as well as part of a multidisciplinary healthcare team.

• Comfortable in a busy hospital environment.

• Able to relate to people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.

Because this role involves caring for vulnerable newborn babies, volunteers are required to:

• Complete a National Police Check and relevant screening prior to commencement.

• Meet all SA Health immunisation requirements.

• Successfully complete specialised training before commencing the role.

• Follow all infection prevention and hand hygiene procedures at all times.

Volunteers receive comprehensive preparation and ongoing support, including:

• Corporate volunteer induction.

• Special Care Nursery orientation.

• Mandatory Hand Hygiene and Infection Control training.

• Workplace Health and Safety training.

• Ongoing education and annual mandatory training.

• Role-specific instruction and guidance from experienced staff.

You will never be expected to undertake clinical duties and will always work under the guidance and support of the Special Care Nursery team.

Not every baby can be held by their parents every moment of the day—but thanks to our Comfort Program volunteers, they never have to face those moments alone.

Your kindness, gentle presence and compassion can provide reassurance to a tiny baby, support to anxious parents and valuable assistance to the healthcare professionals who care for them every day.

If you have a caring heart and would like to make an extraordinary difference in the lives of babies and families, we'd love to welcome you to the Special Care Nursery Comfort Program at Modbury Hospital.

***Applicants must be aged 18 years or older***

BARE BELOW THE ELBOWS 
All staff (both clinical and non-clinical), students, volunteers and contractors having 
contact with the patient and/or the patient’s environment must be bare below the 
elbows, including the following:
• Hand and wrist jewellery (including wrist watches and fitness bands) are not to 
be worn in the clinical area, with the exception of a medical alert bracelet 
and/or a single, plain, non-porous ring. 
• Long sleeved clothing is not recommended, but if worn needs to be rolled up 
above the elbow so as not to interfere with hand hygiene practice.
• Nails are to be short, clean and unvarnished. 
• Artificial nails are not to be worn 

Please note:
* As each organisation provides different levels/types of insurance, volunteers are reminded to check with the organisation as to the type of insurance provided for volunteers (e.g. Voluntary Workers Personal Accident Insurance).
* Best practice volunteer involvement recommends that a volunteer role should not be more than 15-16 hours per week.