Liverpool Palliative Care Volunteer Role Description
Tags: Guidance, Template
16th March 2021
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Volunteers provide additional, informal, lay support for patients and their families, and introduce a valuable sense of community which leads to important improvements in patient experience. The presence of volunteers brings an extra dimension to the culture and environment of the Trust and provides a vital connection between the Hospital and those communities it seeks to serve.
Role Summary
Volunteers provide additional, informal, lay support for patients and their families, and introduce a valuable sense of community which leads to important improvements in patient experience. The presence of volunteers brings an extra dimension to the culture and environment of the Trust and provides a vital connection between the Hospital and those communities it seeks to serve.
Volunteers extend the skills and the scale of the human resources available within the organisation and provide the opportunity to deliver a broader range of services. They offer a caring connection to patients and visitors in ways that transcend the purely clinical.
A diverse volunteer network brings the benefits of a broader range of skills, expertise and knowledge to the Multidisciplinary Team.
The Palliative Care Volunteer Service was established to provide a presence and companionship to dying patients who are in the last weeks of life, have no or few visitors and would otherwise be isolated or alone. The service offers patients a connection to the community outside the clinical setting of the hospital; a compassionate support that complements the care provided by the clinical team. In addition, the Volunteers support families who are unable to visit or those who are emotionally exhausted from their bedside vigil.
Palliative Care Volunteers may be located on the Academic Palliative Care Unit (APCU) or on an alternative ward across the Trust they will be directed to provide individual support as required.
- On arrival at the ward, Volunteers should report to be directed to patients and families in need of support from the service.
Duties include::
- Meeting and greeting patients and visitors to the Ward.
- Providing a presence or companionship to patients who have no or few visitors.
- Providing emotional support, reassurance and companionship to patients and their families.
- Providing support, companionship and appropriate activities for patients with Dementia or Learning Disabilities
- Assisting in preparing patients for mealtimes (tidying space ready to receive meal and assisting patients with hand hygiene).
- Assisting patients with menu choices
- Assisting patients with eating and drinking (Only for Volunteers who have Nutritional Assistant competency and as directed by the Ward Manager/Nurse in Charge)
- Providing refreshments to patients (checking first if patients are allowed fluids).
- Completing Patient Experience surveys and questionnaires
- Shopping for newspapers/refreshments for patients if requested.
Acting as an “alerter “to escalate any concerns/issues to the Nursing Team.
For the full document please download the attachment