Website Notts Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Notts Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Volunteer Visitor – Arnold Lodge and Wells Road
Description of role
To visit patients and provide individual support enabling patients in our medium secure forensic unit who have little or no contact with persons outside the hospital to take part in social contacts and provide them with an opportunity to develop links with the outside community.
Volunteer Visitors are social visitors who visit their match at least once a fortnight during normal visiting hours – these may vary upon patient.
Location:
Arnold Lodge, Leicester
Wells Road, Nottingham
Time commitment:
Minimum one hour visit per fortnight. Visiting times may vary. Please note that we ask for a commitment of at least six months.
Key tasks:
- To visit at least once a fortnight
- Maintain regular contact with patient, Involvement, Experience & Volunteering Team and the patient’s Social Work Team.
- Volunteers are required to be of a mature, cheerful, chatty, non-judgemental temperament with a good general knowledge and the ability to talk on many different subjects whilst adhering to the rules of the scheme.
- Participate in training course, on-going supervision and support.
- Cope with locked doors, rules and regulations and discreet observation of visit by ward staff
- Able to accept role boundaries.
- Minimum age is 18.
- Once accepted as visitors, the volunteer will be matched with a patient who most meets their hobbies, interests and ethnicity and gender.
Desired skills and experience:
- Experience of volunteering/working with mental health.
- Experience of volunteering/working in a medium or low secure forensic mental health setting setting
- Listening skills
- Sensitive and tactful nature
- Emotionally mature
- Compassion
- Reliable & trustworthy
We will provide:
- Supervision and support from a dedicated member of staff within the Involvement, Experience & Volunteering Team
- Induction to Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Specific training for the role
- On-going up-dates and information
- Reimbursement of travel expenses (we pay mileage of up to 30 miles – round trip)
- References can be provided after six months of volunteering
What Nottinghamshire Healthcare offers volunteers:
Support
All volunteers in Nottinghamshire Healthcare are supported by a dedicated team of staff and each volunteer will have a named person within the Volunteering Team as their point of contact. If volunteers are within services, they will also have a named staff member within the service itself. We offer provide regular supervisions with each volunteer to help review their support, their training and their voluntary role. We offer reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses, as detailed in expenses policy. References can also be provided after six months of volunteering
Training & Development
We offer support in completing the National Volunteer Certificate and offer further development and training opportunities that are available.
You will also receive an induction to Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust as well as a local induction to the service/placement location.
Community
We’re proud of our community of volunteers that we support throughout Nottinghamshire Healthcare. They are integrated into staff teams and within our services with patients and carers. Our Involvement Centres act as hubs for their work, training and events. We also offer an online NottsHC Volunteer Hub to further support and nurture our community of volunteers.
How to Apply
New Volunteer Applicants:
All new volunteer applicants for this role must complete and return a Registration Form. Completed forms can be emailed back to the Volunteering Team volunteering@nottshc.nhs.uk or sent via post to the DMH Involvement Centre, Duncan MacMillan House, Porchester Road, Mapperley, Nottingham, NG3 6AA
- Volunteer Registration Form (PDF Form) (opens in new window)
- Volunteer Registration Form (Printable) (opens in new window)
Please note:
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. If successfully shortlisted for this role, you will be sent an invite to interview and links to complete an online DBS check, links to online training which must be completed before the role starts. If you had any questions about the role, the application process or about volunteering with us, get in touch and we’d be happy to help.
Below, please find below important information and interview/training dates to be aware of before applying:
- If successfully shortlisted for this role, you will be sent an invitation to interview and links to complete an online DBS check, links to online training and we will request references (to cover the past three years) which must be completed before the role starts.
Interviews will take place as follows:
- Wednesday 18th October (Wells Road)
- Thursday 26th October (Arnold Lodge)
These are in person or via MS Teams.
Mandatory Training and Induction will take place as follows:
- Wednesday 29th November (Wells Road)
- Thursday 7th December (Arnold Lodge) –
You will need to be available to attend this training and induction in order to commence the role.
Current Nottinghamshire Healthcare Volunteers:
If you already volunteer with us, please complete the Expression of Interest Form and return to the Volunteering Team. Completed forms can be emailed back to the Volunteering Team volunteering@nottshc.nhs.uk or sent to one of the Involvement Centres.
- Expression of Interest Form (PDF Form) (opens in new window)
- Expression of Interest Form (printable) (opens in new window)