Activity and Companionship Volunteer
Spending time in hospital can feel long and isolating, particularly when patients are unwell and unable to take part in their usual daily activities. Providing opportunities for safe mental and physical stimulation can improve wellbeing, boost morale, and support recovery.
Our Activity Volunteers play an important role in enhancing the patient experience, by helping to deliver a range of engaging activities for adult inpatients. Working as part of a friendly team, you may be asked to provide companionship, help patients participate in activities suited to their individual abilities or encourage meaningful engagement during their hospital stay. Your support can make a real difference to patients' wellbeing and help create a more positive hospital experience.
Role Tasks
The types of tasks you may carry out as an Activity and Companionship Volunteer include:
- Providing patient companionship and a chance for patients to have a chat.
- Running a planned activity session in a bay, on a ward or in a dayroom for example quizzes / bingo / music
- Supporting one to one activity with a patient, for example crosswords or having a game of cards.
- Arts and Crafts sessions in small groups or one to one.
- Reminiscence sessions and activities using our memory boxes.
- Themed activities to coincide with national events such as Remembrance and Christmas.
- Supporting our separate activity and book trolley’s
Specific Activities
Alongside our volunteers coming in to support our activity programme, we also have opportunities for volunteers to come in to deliver specific activities, for example therapy dogs, music and arts and crafts. If you already have a trained therapy dog registered with Pets as Therapy, are a talented musician or have experience in delivering an activity, please get in touch.
Skills / Qualities required for this role
- An excellent communicator.
- Empathetic, patient and calm.
- A friendly, positive, approachable manner.
- Able to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
- Able to use own initiative within the boundaries of the volunteer role.
Shift Timings
Days - Monday to Friday
Approximate shift times:
- 1000 to 1300
- 1300 to 1600
We are happy to be flexible with start and finish times where possible. If you have any questions, please get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you 😊
