How to apply to be a volunteer

Please consider the following before applying:

• Are you 16 years of age or older?
• Are you sensitive, emotionally intelligent and have the ability to listen to others  ?
• Are you fit and well?
• Can you attend regularly (at least once a week for six months)?
• Are you legally allowed to volunteer in the UK?

If you can answer yes to all these questions you may be who we are looking for to join our team of volunteers.

We ask for a minimum commitment of six months (or 24 sessions), however many of our volunteers are happy to stay with us for longer.  We ask for a weekly commitment of a minimum of three hours but this can vary according to specific volunteer roles. We aim to be flexible to find a shift that suits you, there are often opportunities to volunteer at the evening or at weekends.

If you are looking for more short term volunteering opportunities such as one-two weeks work experience placements, shadowing or elective placements – we cannot offer this under volunteering. Please contact Healthcare Horizons.

The first step is to complete our online form. We will ask you to give us more information about why you want to volunteer and it’s an opportunity for us to get to know you and what you want to gain from the role. It’s important you read through the role descriptions and select a role you think would be best suited for you before completing the form.

Take your time filling in the application form – the information you provide will help us decide whether you are suitable, we will take into account your attitude, willingness and approach to volunteering.

We receive a high number of applications daily and we have limited roles to offer which means we cannot accept everyone. We aim to find a role to suit your skills, experience and interests. If we aren’t able to offer something with us, we will work hard to offer you alternative routes to getting involved at Barts Health.

Once you submit your application you will receive an email acknowledgment, we will then assess your application and contact you by email on whether you have been successful.

If you pass the application stage you will be contacted by our team to come in for a Group Assessment. This is an opportunity for us to get to know you, offers you a chance to ask us questions, find out more about what our volunteers do and go through paperwork for the pre-placement checks. The assessments take no more than three hours. During the assessment session we will score your performance evaluating your attitude, commitment and approach to volunteering.

You can contact us at any time to find out which stage your application is at. Please check your junk/spam mail for any emails from us or add us to your safe senders list.

The pre-placement checks are required for our volunteers to complete before starting their role. We aim to work hard to get checks processed as soon as we can, however we also relying on volunteers to complete relevant forms, attend training and get in touch when there are delays.

 

Disclosure and Barring Service check

In order to safeguard our patients, staff and visitors all our patient facing volunteers are required to complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS) previously known as the CRB check.

It is difficult to give an exact answer for how long a DBS can take; it can range from between one week to a month or sometimes longer. But as long as you complete the relevant forms quickly, accurately and correctly you can reduce further delays.

 

Occupational health check

Volunteers are required undergo a health screening called an Occupational Health Check before commencing their role.  

The aim of the check is to promote physical and psychological well-being - to assess whether you are fit to carry out the role you have applied for without causing a risk to yourself and others. Prevent any work-related diseases and carrying out assessments to understand how your health impacts on work and identify where additional support is required.  

Volunteers are required to complete an electronic health questionnaire online for the first step. After submitting the form if there aren’t any pending vaccinations or health concerns you are issued an immunisation report certificate confirming your health check clearance. You may be asked to go in for an appointment before you receive clearance. The team offer a range of vaccinations including: Hepatitis B, Meningitis ACWY, Revaxis (tetanus/diphtheria/polio), Typhoid, MMR, BCG and influenza. If you are unsure whether you have had these vaccinations, please get in touch with your GP for clarification.

 

References

You must provide two suitable referees on your application form. These referees must have known you in a professional capacity, this can be your tutor in your college, or a manager at work.

Training

All our volunteers are required to complete a four-hour volunteer induction training. This covers the following:

• Our vision and values
• Teamwork and communication
• Confidentiality and human rights
• Equality and diversity, manual handling
• Basic fire safety, mealtimes
• Children safeguarding (level 1)
• Infection control
• Basic health and safety

We only offer training during the weekdays, we hold sessions in our different hospitals and hold sessions regularly throughout the year.

Placement induction

Once you have completed all your pre-placement checks, training and we have received satisfactory references, you can commence volunteering. You will be invited to come in for a placement induction where you will be given a tour of the hospital introduced to your department and given your uniform and badge.