UCLH NHS Foundation Trust

Please note that we are currently only recruiting for the volunteer roles listed above.

Before applying please read these roles to see if you are a good fit with what what we are looking for. Please do not just fill in an an application. 

Are there any restrictions to volunteering at UCLH?

Minimum age: Volunteers must be aged 16 or older. Applicants aged 16-17 will need to apply for specific roles through our youth volunteering program. All roles need a regular weekly commitment e.g. coming in on the same time slot and day each week. For ward based roles we ask that you commit for at least 12 months, other roles are one off, 3 or 6 months.

Are you a student? We welcome applications from students. However, we do not accept applications from 2nd year students after the 1st November or Final year students as study commitments conflict with sustaining a regular commitment.

Do you live over an hour away? We prefer volunteers to live close to UCLH sites. Currently, we are only able to reimburse upto £8.90 per day for travel costs. If you have a journey time of 1+hrs to get to us we find that it makes it harder to sustain a regular commitment and can prove expensive to volunteer. Therefore, if you live more than an hour away we encourage you to contact your local hospital.

Looking for work experience, internships or clinical placements? We are sorry but our department does not offer these placements. Although there is an overlap between volunteering and work experience, all our roles tend to be ongoing and longer term. They are also focused on improving our patient exerpeince. If you are aged 16-18 and wanting work experience please contact our Learning and Development Team.

The process to becoming a volunteer at UCLH

1. Apply online: Have a look at the roles we are advertising for and apply for one that you are interested in. If applying online if difficult for you please contact us.
2. Telephone chat: We will then call you to discuss your application and see if volunteering at UCLH would work for you
3. Group introduction and assessment: If successful we invite you to attend a 3hr introductory session where we talk about the realities of volunteering at UCLH and get to know you better. As part of this you will need to bring in original copies of some ID for an NHS ID check and DBS check.
4. Volunteer induction day: All patient facing volunteers attend a volunteer induction day. This covers all aspects of volunteering at UCLH and topics such as infection control and different scenarios you may encounter.
5. Complete online DBS check and online training
6.  1-1 Induction: Once all your checks have cleared and you have completed your training we will arrange for your 1-1 induction. This is where you will meet your new supervisor and be trained in your role
   
7. Start volunteering!

On average it takes 6 weeks for someone to come through this process and start volunteering with us.

Is hospital volunteering right for you? Before applying it is important to consider that volunteering can be an emotionally demanding experience. If you are currently or have recently been coping with a medical diagnosis either as a patient, family member or close friend, this may not be the best time for you to volunteer with us. In particular if you, or someone you are close to has been affected by cancer we ask that you wait for 2 years before applying.

Your safety is important to us

Safety is our number one value at UCLH, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The majority of our roles are very low risk and you will not be working directly with Covid patients.  As part of your volunteering, you will get:

• A full induction including e-learning, 1:1 support and shadowing other volunteers
• Training on infection control processes and procedures
• Access to the same PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) as staff
• Access to Covid testing and vaccination
• A named supervisor