Volunteer Roles - Patient Facing

Volunteers help us by supporting patients and carers in a number of ways. This includes spending time in the Anniversary Centre, on the Inpatient wards and also in patients’ own homes throughout our catchment area in South East London. Each volunteer operates flexibly in each of these settings. Some of our volunteers also offer to help by picking patients up in the car or driving them to appointments. All the volunteers who work alongside patients are expected to attend an initial training programme of 24 hours spread out over a number of weeks and take part in regular support groups with an experienced facilitator. The training is designed to equip them to deal with a wide range of tasks, some of which are described below.

In the Anniversary Centre, volunteers play an important role in welcoming patients, families, carers and visitors to the Centre, offering tea, coffee and a 'listening ear'.  They help catering staff by selling light refreshments, or assist in Reception. Some act as information guides, helping people to find the information they need (for example, on-line and or in hard copy). Volunteers also support the nursing team by helping patients in the Anniversary Centre at meal times, or with bathing and other activities.

The Centre is open between 8am and 9pm every day, and volunteers undertake to help for shifts of between three and six hours. Volunteers in the Anniversary Centre also have the opportunity to do part of their shift on the Inpatient Unit, sitting with patients who are very ill, chatting to patients who are alone, or helping with simple tasks.

Some of our volunteers help patients at home. They provide practical support by giving carers a short break, talking with patients, going for a walk with them, helping with shopping, or accompanying them to appointments. At the moment we are particularly keen to recruit volunteers to support us in this way as we launch our new personal care service across the London Borough of Croydon.

If you are able to drive and have your own vehicle and a clean driving licence, during your shift you might be able to assist by driving patients to and from the hospice, either so that they can spend the day in the Anniversary Centre or attend a clinic appointment, at the hospice or in other locations.