Leeds Way Welcome Volunteers: Role description

Purpose

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) is an extremely large and busy organisation spread over 7 hospital sites each with numerous reception areas that see thousands of patients, visitors and staff each day, we recognise the need for visible, proactive and supportive volunteer assistance in these public areas. The purpose of this volunteer role is to provide a first point of contact for anyone coming to the hospital site and requiring assistance. This role has been created in response to the changing needs of the organisation post COVID and is a bespoke service to build on previous ‘first point of contact’ roles to enhance the level of support and create a better experience for all.

Time commitment

A minimum of 1 morning or afternoon session each week.

Key tasks

• Providing a friendly welcome
• Being the first point of contact when someone enters our hospital buildings
• Welcoming and asking if they can provide any assistance
• Accompanying patients, visitors or staff to the ward, clinic or department that they are needing to attend to ensure that they reach their destination
• Providing additional assistance as required such as individuals needing to be pushed in a wheelchai
• Using additional language skills to provide a friendly welcome for those visiting the hospital where English is a second language
• Using British Sign Language (BSL) to effectively communicate with individuals from the deaf community
• Having knowledge about site specific amenities such as; toilets, changing places, cafes, shops, places of worship and specific department and services on site
• Local geographical knowledge ie: car parks and payment methods, local shops, takeaways, local services like banks etc.
• Onward travel information, be able to provide individuals with information about local bus routes, access to the train station, cross site travel, booking a taxi or using the ambulance patient transport service
• Promoting Trust wide initiatives such as; smoking cessation, blood donation, organ donation, and other healthcare initiatives.
• Supporting the trust to collect patient and visitor feedback from specific communities which are currently under-represented.
• Signposting to onward support including; Leeds Hospitals Charity other 3rd party approved organisations, bereavement, complaints, Robert Ogden Centre, Maggies Centre.
• Offering a listening ear and chatting with patients and relatives in the reception areas for example when waiting for transport.
• Instigating an appropriate response to a situation on behalf of patients and visitors by alerting the patient environment team to spills, trips and hazards, security, porters etc.
• Being able to put any personal experiences of beliefs to one side
  

Boundaries (what the volunteer won’t be doing):

• Not taking anyone off site
• Not offering any clinical or medical advice
• Not assisting with any medical support
• Not judging anyone coming onto our hospital sites
• Won’t be asking any personal or unnecessary or irrelevant questions
• Not overstepping the boundaries

For the full document please download the attached PDF

You may also be interested in:

• Visitor Safety & Triage support
• Meet & Greet volunteer role
• Wayfinder volunteer