UCLH NHS Foundation Trust

The types of role that we offer and their minimum commitments

We offer three main types of roles. As part of the application process, you will be asked to select one type of role you are most interested in. These roles are:

1. Ward-based roles supporting inpatients: We ask for a regular commitment of the same time/day each week for a minimum of 135 hours a year. This could comprise half a day a week for 12 months, one full day for six months, or no more than two full days a week for three months. 

2. Roles supporting outpatients, and welcoming and guiding: We ask for a regular commitment of the same time/day each week for a minimum of 60 hours in half a year. This could comprise of half a day a week for six months, one full day for three months, or no more than one and a half days a week for two months.

3. More intensive inpatient support and administrative roles (1+ days per week): These are for a minimum of one to three days per week for three to six months. This equates to a minimum of 165 hours. These roles are particularly beneficial for people who are aged 18+ and actively seeking paid employment in the NHS in the next 4-6 months. You'll be volunteering in an area that should be broadly relevant for your chosen career, building non-clinical experience for a successful career in healthcare. The Voluntary Services department also provides training and support in job applications and interview skills for its volunteers.

Youth volunteering: If you are aged 16-17 (or 18 if still in sixth form/college) we have a special youth volunteering programme offering a summer scheme, after school and weekend opportunities. The minimum age to volunteer is 16 

Applicants must live or study in the London Boroughs of Camden, Islington or Westminster, or be children of UCLH staff. All placements are for a minimum of three months. 

Recruitment for the youth programme is currently closed.  We are running an information session about our Summer Programme Saturday 8th March 11am-12.30pm. To receive the link to join, and to be notified of when recruitment opens please complete this form

Looking for work experience, internships, or clinical placements? We are sorry but UCLH does not have a programme where we accept applications for work experience placements for school age people aged 16+.  Instead, we only offer placements through partnerships with specific local schools. UCLH does not offer adult work experience. Although there is an overlap between volunteering and work experience, all our volunteer roles tend to be ongoing and longer term (3+ months). Roles are non-clinical and focused on improving our patient experience.

The process to becoming a volunteer at UCLH

1. Apply online: If you have added your name to the waiting list above we will contact you when recruitment opens again and may ask you to fill our an application form. If applying online is difficult for you, please contact us.
2. Telephone chat and/or assessment: We will then give you a call to find out if volunteering at UCLH would work for you and may ask you to attend an assessment.
   
3. Complete online checks (NHS ID, DBS, Occupational Health, and references): If you are successful, you will need to send us copies of ID and proof of address for an NHS ID check and DBS check. You will also need to complete an occupational health check and provide evidence of your vaccination history. And we ask for the names of two references. 
   
4. Complete online volunteer training modules: All patient-facing volunteers must complete our online eLearning. This covers all aspects of volunteering at UCLH, including topics such as infection control, patient confidentiality, safeguarding, and different scenarios you may encounter. All volunteers complete core skills NHS eLearning.
5. 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. This may include shadowing other experienced volunteers and completing further online learning modules.
   
6. Start volunteering!

On average it takes 7 weeks for someone with a complete vaccination history to come through this process and start volunteering with us. However, if you need to have any new vaccinations through Occupational Health (MMR/TB or Chickenpox/varicella), this may take around 12-16 weeks. 

Do you need additional support to volunteer or apply? please email us to arrange a time to have a chat uclh.volunteering@nhs.net

Are there any restrictions to volunteering at UCLH? 

- Are you a university student? We welcome applications from students. However, we do not accept final year students or applications from students after 1 November of their second year. This is as study commitments and exam periods conflict with sustaining a regular commitment.

- Do you live more than an hour away? We prefer volunteers to live close to UCLH sites. Currently, we are only able to reimburse expenses of up to £10.00 per day for travel costs. If you have a journey time of more than one hour 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 volunteer at your local hospital.

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 two years before applying.