Role Description: Maternity Base Bay Volunteer

Role description

Information about the ward:

Maternity Base provides care for antenatal women who have been diagnosed with a high-risk medical condition that needs treatment or monitoring as an inpatient. Mat Base also provides inpatient care for women recovering from high-risk medical conditions they have had during pregnancy, and for women recovering from a difficult labour or delivery. The ward also provides transitional care for babies that need a higher level of care than usual, but who do not need admitting to the Neonatal Unit. There are approximately 80 beds.

Role Purpose:

The role will support the obstetrics multi-disciplinary team to help provide better care to women by alleviating certain tasks, allowing staff to dedicate more time to clinical duties and training, thus improving and reinforcing the current workforce. It provides the volunteer with an opportunity to learn about the different roles that multi-disciplinary team play within an obstetrics inpatient environment whilst gaining valuable training, insight and experience for potential career development if desired.

Ultimately the role focuses on enhancing our patient, visitor and staff experience, and to provide our volunteers with an enjoyable, rewarding and worthwhile experience. The staff on Maternity Base welcome volunteers from all walks of life, experience and backgrounds and value the contribution they make to the care of our women and babies.

Criteria/skills and experience:

• Friendly, approachable, and good communication skills

• Honesty and integrity
• Have empathy, and be patient and calm in difficult situations should they arise
• Be proactive, respectful, and attentive to patient and visitor needs
• Ability to work well within a diverse team
• Can follow instructions, complete training, and local induction
• Are available to volunteer for around four hours per week, for specific shift times, and for a minimum of six months

Key tasks:

• Always report to Midwife in charge of the bay you’ve been assigned too.
• Introduce yourself to the patients in your bay and explain what your role is and how you can help them. Check with the clinical staff for patients who are not to be disturbed.
• Spending time chatting to patients – huge benefit of feeling valued and listened to
• Making midwives and other staff aware of any patient concerns
• Assisting staff in preparing rooms and bed areas for new patients, and supporting staff during the admittance procedure
• Assisting in transferring women from delivery suite to Maternity Base
• Supporting recovering mothers who may have difficulties lifting and holding their babies
• Supporting mothers who are having ‘skin to skin’ contact with their babies
• Watching over babies if requested by patients whilst they register the birth, take showers, go for a walk etc.
• Giving out feeding bottles
• Helping distribute the meals to patients at mealtimes.
• Helping the ward Hostess give out jugs of water, and collect them in. N.B. It is the ward Hostesses role, to sanitise the water jugs. However, you can reuse and refill the jugs for the same patient
• Running errands for patients and staff
• Ensuring patients are aware of the system for registering births in the hospital
• Escorting patients to other departments/clinics in the hospital e.g. Registrars Office, Neonatal, Scan, NIPE Clinic etc.
• Keeping bed areas tidy
• Collecting items from other departments e.g. baby warmers from delivery suite
• Making tea and toast for patients when directed by ward staff
• Supporting high staff pressures areas i.e. chasing discharge summaries, medication errands, gathering patient feedback, patient info leaflets and signposting, welcome to ward, and transport arrangements
• Helping carry the belongings of discharged patients
• Helping ward staff deal with visitors during visiting times
• When directed by ward staff escort patients to showers, carry their towel, soap bag etc.
• Keeping disposable glove, apron and hibiscrub dispensers stocked up
• Any other duties that the ward staff feel are supportive to the patients
• Experienced volunteers could be asked to demonstrate the role to volunteers new to the service.

Excluded tasks

• Lifting patients, even with a member of staff assisting
• Give drinks/food to patients unless authorised by a member of the clinical staff team
• Give clinical information to a patient, relative or visitor
• Escort patients off the wards without authorisation from a member of the clinical staff team
• Take part in the clinical care of a patient e.g. assist a patient who is vomiting
• Touch or move equipment e.g. drip stands, monitors etc. unless authorised to do so by a senior member of staff
• Clean or handle any items soiled with bodily fluids or excrement
• Chaperone patients
• Volunteers should not be involved in patients personal care e.g. bathing (including bathing babies), toileting

For two examples of this role description please download the attached PDFs

You may also be interested in:

• Role Description: Volunteer Medical Assessment Unit
• Role Description: Volunteer in Midwifery Led Unit
• Role Description: Delivery Suite Volunteer
• Maternity Base Volunteers Specific Roles
• Role Description: Maternity Ward Support and Companion