Volunteering at Our Trust

Volunteering at Gloucestershire Hospitals gives you the chance to support your local health service by offering safe and compassionate care and support to our patients. Our volunteers come from all walks of life and we aim to represent the diversity of our communities. Our volunteers are passionate about improving patient experience and are part of the Gloucestershire Hospitals team.

We are developing our volunteer base and we aim to increase the numbers of volunteers we work with. We recognise the positive impact volunteering makes on our patients and our Trust.

Volunteers tell that volunteering has helped improve their self-confidence and motivation. They feel they are making a valuable contribution in their community and this has a positive impact on their own physical and mental wellbeing.

In return for their time and dedication, we provide our volunteers with opportunities to build skills, meet new people and truly make a difference.

Deborah Lee - Chief Executive

“At Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust I am very proud of the valuable contribution our volunteers make to our patients and staff on a daily basis. They provide support in a wide variety of roles from being the friendly face to greet and welcome you to our hospitals, supporting cognitive stimulation groups for our patients living with dementia, tending to our gardens, helping with admin and ward duty tasks or simply keeping our patient's company whilst at the hospital. Being in hospital can be an anxious time for patients, their family and friends and volunteers help ease the burden by making a difference in their experience.

Not only do we as an organisation benefit from the time offered by a volunteer but an individual can also benefit from volunteering. Did you know there are a number of significant health benefits to a volunteer including improved quality of life, improved ability to cope with ill health, a healthier lifestyle and meeting new people which can improve self-esteem and sense of purpose. Volunteering can also be the gateway for young people who may be considering a career in a healthcare setting, offering the opportunity to understand the day-to-day running of a busy, acute hospital.

Our volunteers range in age between 17 and 87 and generously give us in excess of 1,000 hours of voluntary support every week. The roles of our volunteers are always expanding as we discover new ways people can help us and therefore we are keen to recruit more support. Whatever your reason for volunteering you will receive a warm welcome from all of us here at Gloucestershire Hospitals”.

Whilst our volunteers help us in a variety of ways we are currently recruiting volunteers in the following areas:

• Ward Helpers
• Emergency Department
• Wayfinding
• Outpatient areas
• Day Case Departments
• Nursery
• Gardening

We can offer you a great opportunity to give something back to your local community. However, hospitals can be very challenging environments. They are busy places that care for sick and critically ill patients and their families which at times could be distressing.

Therefore, to be a volunteer you need to be able to commit to the role fully and ensure you are the right type of person to volunteer in a hospital environment. There is a wide variety of roles as a volunteer so we believe we can match you to the right type of role for you.

Volunteers need to be:

• Friendly and approachable
• Caring and good listeners
• Comfortable approaching people to offer help
• Able to work independently and use initiative after an initial training period
• Emotionally mature and able to stay calm in difficult situations
• Adaptable
• Able to offer a regular weekly commitment of 3-4 hours for a minimum period of at least six months.
• Dependable

Volunteer responsibilities

Each role has a specific list of duties that the volunteer can undertake, however, all volunteers should also:

• Be polite, courteous and respectful to others
• Wear the Trust volunteer ID badge and uniform appropriately
• Adhere to the volunteer agreement
• Promote a positive image of the hospital, staff and voluntary services
• Uphold the values of the Trust

If you have any questions or require further information on completing the online application form, please contact the Voluntary Services team.

Sarah Brown, Voluntary Services Manager or Emma Price, Voluntary Services Administrator

Voluntary Services Department

Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Great Western Road

Gloucester, GL1 3NN

Telephone: 0300 422 6648 or 3451

Email: ghn-tr.voluntaryservices@nhs.net

The welfare of patients, staff and volunteers is the Trust’s top priority. The Trust has robust policies and processes in place for deploying volunteers safely following the outbreak of COVID-19. This includes supplying PPE, exercising high levels of hand hygiene and social distancing, and providing appropriate training. You will have the opportunity to discuss any concerns you have around COVID-19 during the application process.

Volunteering is not the same as work experience. If you are interested in work experience or career opportunities please contact:-

For Apprenticeships enquiries – ghn-tr.apprenticeships@nhs.net

For Careers enquiries (including work experience/traineeships – ghn-tr.careers@nhs.net