Many of our volunteers are retired, either members of the public, members of staff or former patients, people wanting a career change or a break, or people with part-time work. We welcome all suitable volunteers; but (for legal and insurance reasons) it is important that all volunteers (even if they are family of members of staff) should be entered on the Register of Volunteers, which is kept by the Volunteer Team Coordinator.

• Escorting outpatients to various departments/clinics
• Writing letters for patients and posting letters/parcels for patients/staff
• Running errands and acting as a messenger service
• Shopping and personal errands for patients
• Assisting with general ward records, routine administration and ward information services including simple clerical procedures
  
• Providing reception, messenger and general services in outpatients departments
• Meeting patients, reading appointment cards and talking/directing to clinics/wards
• Talking with patients/relatives/visitors and helping on wards with simple tasks (not nursing)
• Clerical assistance in emergencies (simple)
• Assisting visitors who are disabled, frail, elderly
• Escorting patients from the wards to the hairdressing salon and back again
• Daily delivery of records to wards/clinics/departments
• Beauty treatments including manicure
• Changing water, cleaning vases/rearranging flowers for patients
• Fetching refreshments for patients and others
• Fetching wheelchairs for visitors
• Helping phlebotomists with outpatients
• Telephone inquiries to assist ward clerks
• Issuing hearing aid batteries
• Delivering flowers/cards to patients on wards
• Preparing patients notes, packs, x-ray cards
• Collecting and delivering medical records to wards and clinics
• Cut rolls of paper for examination beds in A&E and physiotherapy departments
• Any other duties of a similar nature as and when required in any department

Application procedure

If you express an interest in volunteering within the hospital, you will be asked to fill in an application form. This asks you for contact information, previous experience that might be useful and the name and address of two referees (not a relative). You will also be asked to fill in a Health Declaration Form.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975

Staff working in the National Health Service are required to declare any convictions that may for other purposes be spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. If your placement is within certain vulnerable categories, it might be necessary for the Trust to carry out a police check.

Car parking/travel expenses

You will be given access to the staff car parks at the hospital and will be paid travel expenses. Please ask the Volunteer Team Coordinator for details. There are two food outlets at the hospital site and you can claim a lunch reimbursement if your duties run for longer than a 4-hour placement.

Personal property

The Trust is unable to accept any liability for loss or damage to your personal property throughout the Trust.

All volunteers wear ID and a badge (as do all James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust staff) and many can be recognised by their red tabards. For further information about volunteering please contact:

Liz Barber
Patient Advice & Liaison Co-ordinator
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Lowestoft Road
Gorleston
Great Yarmouth
Norfolk
NR31 6LA

liz.barber@jpaget.nhs.uk
Telephone: 01493 452651
Extension 2651

Attitude of volunteers

Your attitude as a volunteer is of great importance; if you see someone looking worried or confused, always be prepared to offer assistance. Remember that no task is too small.

Absence

The paid staff and patients will come to rely on your assistance. If you are to be absent for any reason, please tell your placement area. If you are ill, please stay at home. If your absence is to be lengthy, we may have to replace you on a temporary basis.

Signing in

All volunteers must sign in when they start their period of duty.

Change of circumstances

If there are any changes in your personal circumstance that will affect your work, or you wish to change the type or hours of your placement, please inform The Volunteer Team Coordinator.

Confidentiality

You will be required to sign a Confidentiality Clause when you join the Trust. It is likely that you will see and hear things that are confidential – it is essential that nothing concerning patients, or their condition, is ever mentioned outside the hospital. Failure to comply with this ruling would result in immediate dismissal.

Infections

To protect patients, you must inform the Volunteer Team Coordinator if you have been in contact with anyone with a notifiable disease such as typhoid, measles, hepatitis, enteritis or salmonella.

Accidents

If you have an accident while you are on duty, you must inform the person responsible for this in the department in which you had the accident and/or the Volunteer Team Coordinator.

Code of conduct

• The fundamental aim of the voluntary assistant is to assist the hospital staff.
• The voluntary assistant must maintain at all times the highest standards of behaviour, conduct and reliability.
• The voluntary assistant must always endeavour to improve his/her skill at the task at which he/she is working.
• The religious beliefs of the patients must be respected.
• Voluntary assistants hold in confidence all personal information entrusted to them, or acquired during the course of the hospital duty.
• The voluntary assistant recognises not only the responsibilities but also the limitations of his/her voluntary duty, undertakes tasks without prior instructions only in emergencies or when certain that common sense dictates: reports such actions to the ward or departmental staff at the earliest moment.
• The voluntary assistant is under an obligation to carry out the orders of the ward or department staff intelligently and loyally.
• The voluntary assistant sustains confidence in the ward or department staff. If not confident the voluntary assistant must report to the organiser.
• The voluntary assistant co-operates with, and maintains harmonious relationships with all members of the ward or department staff.
• The voluntary assistant will be responsible for advising the Volunteer Team Coordinator of any changes to address and telephone number.
  

Fire procedures

It is a statutory obligation that everybody who works at the Trust, in whatever position, must attend a fire instruction lecture at least once a year.