Examples of volunteering roles: Phone Bank Volunteer

Phone Bank Volunteer

Purpose:

Your role will be to provide support to patients and staff members during this time of increased pressure on NHS services due to Covid-19 (Coronavirus). As a phone bank volunteer you will be calling patients regarding their appointments and procedures at the Trust. During this period there will be many appointments that need to be postponed or rearranged. Your will be supervised by Trust staff to call and engage with patients across a number of departments. You will receive a phone script and any other relevant guidance in order to carry out the role.

You will be assigned to one of our wards or departments depending on where the need is and on your availability.

Duties (what you will be doing):

• Calling patients regarding their appointments; to check they are coming, to rearrange, or to postpone
• Fielding queries from members of the public
• Directing calls to the relevant parts of the hospital
• Supporting the Patient Advice and Liaison (PALs) team

Boundaries (what you won’t be doing):

• No clinical care of patients
• No personal care (e.g. toileting or getting patients changed)
• No lifting of heavy equipment

Time commitment:

Each volunteering shift is 4 hours long. You must commit to at least one shift per week on any day of the week at one of the following times:

• 8 am to 12 pm
• 12 pm to 4 pm
• 4 pm to 8 pm

Requirements of the role:

Age: You must be 16 years or older to volunteer in this role

Accessibility: This role is accessible to people with wheelchairs or who have other mobility issues

As a volunteer you will embody the Trust’s values:

• Putting patients first
• Responsive to, and supportive of, patients and staff
• Open, welcoming and honest
• Unfailingly kind, treating everyone with respect, compassion and dignity
• Determined to develop our skills and continuously improve the quality of care

Skills and other requirements:

• You must be self-motivated; with an ability to think on your feet and work independently
• You must be punctual and dependable
• You must be a great communicator; with a calm and professional phone manner
• You must have a professional and friendly demeanour
• You must be flexible and eager to learn
• You need a thick skin. Some patients might be distressed or angry when you talk to them
• This is not a job shadowing opportunity and should not be considered a work placement. You must be motivated to volunteer, rather than shadow clinical staff

Pre-placement checks and training:

• You will receive a core volunteering induction
• You will also receive a local induction and orientation. This will include any training that is relevant to perform your tasks in the specific department
• You will receive a volunteer pack

Champions:

Your volunteering champions are there to support and supervise you during your volunteering placement. Your champion will depend which department you are based in.

For the full document please download the attachment.

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