Living Well Group Support Volunteer – Thanet

Location: Margate

Status: Every Tuesday, 10am-2pm

Pilgrims Hospices is looking for volunteers to assist Wellbeing Practitioners in the management and delivery of our Living Well groups for patients, which run from 10am-2pm every Tuesday at our Thanet hospice.

Key duties and responsibilities

The key duties of the Living Well Support Volunteer will be:

To support the Wellbeing Practitioners in setting up before the group session and clearing away at the end

To attend pre- and post-group session briefing/handover as required

To meet, greet and register patients attending the group session

To prepare, serve and clear away light refreshments during the group session and coordinate lunch arrangements as required

To pro-actively engage in conversation with and befriend patients attending the group session, in a compassionate and empathetic way

To support the Wellbeing Practitioners in managing and facilitating group sessions

To participate in activities during the group session and support patients to participate in activities as required

To contribute to the evaluation of the group session

Communication and liaison

To communicate as appropriate with Wellbeing Practitioners at the beginning and end of each shift

To ensure confidentiality at all times

To operate within agreed boundaries including patient/staff relationships

To understand the limitations of the role and when to refer matters to a member of staff

To preserve patients’ dignity at all times

To report matters of concern to staff

To participate in support and supervision processes as required

Patient support

To promote and demonstrate commitment to Pilgrims Hospices’ Vision

To bring your own skills and experience in working with people

To build a rapport with patients/carers and act as a befriender

To listen to patients/carers without judgement

To support patients/carers with additional communication needs if required

Key experience, skills and attributes

Commitment to the ethos of the charity and the responsibilities of the role

Communication skills; able to listen, able to interact with patients and carers, empathy and compassion

Ability to work independently, to share information where appropriate for the best care of the patient

Commitment and loyalty; understand the importance of providing a reliable and continuous service, able to attend duties as agreed, informing an appropriate member of staff if unable to attend

Flexibility, to support delivery of service

Resilience, to be able to volunteer in an emotionally challenging environment

Having an enthusiastic, perceptive and compassionate personality is important

Organisational skills and time management are an advantage

Ability to work as part of a team is essential and an interest in healthcare is desirable

Good understanding of wellbeing and the importance of promoting and supporting wellbeing in palliative care

Essential training requirements

Role specific training matrix

To arrange shadowing opportunities until competent in role

Any other statutory and mandatory training considered relevant to the role

What we offer

An opportunity to work in a healthcare setting

An opportunity to make a difference in your local community

To use existing skills in a different setting

Being part of a multi-professional team, working with different people

Working in a positive environment with patients, families, volunteers and staff, with a like-minded philosophy

Provision of relevant training and ongoing support

Our responsibilities to you

To provide effective induction and training

To provide you with regular support

To actively listen and respond to any concerns and worries regarding the role

To communicate effectively and regularly with you

To value your enthusiasm, willingness, and expertise

Pilgrims Hospices want to ensure that applicants have had the time and space to grieve if they have had a recent bereavement, so, if relevant, this will be discussed as part of the recruitment process

Your responsibilities to us

To engage positively with the training and support provided

To act within the scope of your volunteering role at all times

To comply with Pilgrims Hospices policies and procedures

To maintain confidentiality at all times

To adhere to infection control procedures pertinent to the area you are working in at all times

To seek help and support when needed from the Wellbeing teams

To share comments and concerns in a timely way in order to promote early resolution and avoid misunderstandings

To contribute to any evaluation and/or audits to review and improve the service

To inform the Hub/Wellbeing Practitioner team of any unavailability for scheduled duties, preferably with at least 24 hours notice

To abide by the required dress code

The above list is not exhaustive and volunteers may be asked to undertake other tasks, to support the smooth running of the hospice.

The role requires an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Check.

Find out more

For further information about this opportunity, please contact Justine Robinson, Therapy and Wellbeing Services Manager:

Email: [email protected]

How to apply for a volunteer role

To apply for this volunteer role, please download and complete an application form for clinical volunteering roles.

Completed application forms should be sent to [email protected].