Volunteers are a valued part of our NHS family and play an important role in helping our hospitals do more. Whether it’s pointing patients in the right direction, giving out information or simply offering an ear to listen, volunteers are a helping hand to everyone who visits our hospitals.
If you’d like to develop a volunteer role for your ward, department or service, we’ll be happy to help.
Before you do though, it’s a good idea to make sure you understand the sorts of tasks volunteers can and can’t help with in our hospitals.
What can volunteers do to help?
At Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, all our volunteer roles:
- are unpaid
- have clear tasks and responsibilities
- are beneficial to patients, visitors and/or NHS staff at our hospitals
- are more substantial than providing feedback or service user input.
Our volunteer roles do not include:
- attending consultations or patient and public involvement events
- work experience or professional shadowing
- attending patient support groups
- organising fundraising or awareness stands in public areas of our hospitals
- taking part in medical trials.
We recruit and train volunteers to carry out specific roles at our hospitals. Depending on the requirements of each role, there will be certain tasks they can help with and others where it wouldn't be appropriate for them to provide support. For example, volunteers should never be asked to move patients in a wheelchair. We'll provide all the information you need to know about the sorts of tasks volunteers can and can't do before they join your team.
Creating a volunteer role for your team
If you’re ready to develop a volunteer role for your ward, department or service, we’re here to help. We’ll work with you to understand the specific needs for your team and whether volunteers can support you. You can get started by completing this simple form.
