End-of-Life care: Daisy volunteer - Role description

Many thanks to Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust for sharing with us this End-of-Life care role profile.

Daisy Volunteer

General tasks

This role is about caring for someone and their family during their final weeks and days of their life. We are looking for individuals who would be willing to come and sit with a patient in their final days or hours or it could even be to offer the families/carers a chance of respite without worrying that their relative will be alone.

Various forms of support will be offered to the patients such as facilitating communication between the patient and their family/carers or friends by way of Skype or FaceTime. Other times you may be called upon to play either their favourite music, T.V programme or just hold their hand. For the families who are shielding, you will be able to gather the patient’s belongings and pass them over to the families.

We are always looking for the right people, those who are friendly, respectful of all, those who celebrate the uniqueness in difference, whether that is our ethnicity, gender, ability, religion or sexual orientation. We are people who have a natural positive disposition, who are reliable and committed. They wear our volunteer uniform with pride, beaming with compassion and enthusiasm. We believe that the dedication and support of our volunteers’ help us to achieve wonderful things and make the experience of our patients the very best it can be.

"Touch has a memory” John Keats

The majority of people who die have family, friends and visitors that give them support. But what if you had no-one? What if you were facing your death alone? With the current reality that we live in today, patients will spend a lot of time alone and some even face the devastating prospect of dying alone in a hospital ward. For others their relatives and friends may be there but are often overwhelmed and isolated.

You must not

• Volunteers must not assist with anything of a medical nursing nature, read patients’ medical files or share this information, assist with cleaning duties of any kind or repair any item of equipment.

• As a volunteer you are in a position of trust this should never be abused or used to advantage yourself or disadvantage a patient

For the full leaflet please download the attached PDF