Volunteering with Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust an introduction

Transcription

1 Volunteering with Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust an introduction Shining a light on the future

2 Index Page Who are we and what we do 3 The Voluntary Services Department 3 What do volunteers do? 4 How much time will I need to give? 4 Where will I be based? 4 Can I volunteer during weekends or evenings? 4 Can I volunteer for a couple of weeks over the summer holidays? 5 Will I receive expenses? 5 Will I receive training? 5 What support will I receive? 6 What can I gain from volunteering? 6 How do I become a volunteer? 6-7 When can I start volunteering? 7 What if I have a comment, suggestion, compliment or complaint about the service? 8 Should you wish to become a volunteer or require further information 8 2

3 Dedicated to the ideals, standards and principles of excellence in healthcare through volunteering Who are we and what do we do? Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust provide a wide range of mental health, disability and substance misuse services for local people of all ages, as well as some specialist regional and national services. Our services are provided in peoples homes, health centres, schools and specialist centres across the north east. We manage a number of hospitals including: Northgate Hospital, Morpeth St. Georges Park, Morpeth St. Nicholas Hospital, Gosforth Walkergate Park Prudhoe Hospital Cherry Knowle Hospital, Ryhope, Sunderland Monkwearmouth Hospital, Sunderland. We also provide inpatient services at several other hospitals in the area, including Newcastle General Hospital. The Voluntary Services Department are based at St. Nicholas Hospital, Gosforth. The department recruits, trains and provides ongoing support to a wide range of projects across the Trust. The Voluntary Services Department The Voluntary Services Department is based at St. Nicholas Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne and employs three team members: Christine Lopez, Voluntary Services Manager Wendy Spratt, Volunteer Co-ordinator Joanne Hanlon, Administrator During 2010 we deployed 332 volunteers across over 27 different projects. We welcome volunteers from the age of 18 onwards with no upper age limit and from all areas of our diverse community, including those with first hand experience of mental health services. We recognise that volunteers from all backgrounds bring with them a range of skills, talents, experience and enthusiasm. 3

4 What do Volunteers do? Volunteers participate in a wide range of projects across the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, complementing the work of paid staff to enhance the experience of our service users. Volunteer activities aim to: Alleviate social isolation - we have a range of projects across the Trust involved in the provision of social support within mental health services, learning disabilities and neuro-rehabilitation including a community befriending scheme. Promote user involvement - through the Service User Representative Scheme, a User Run Hospital Shop and the Tans Restaurant. Utilise valuable skills in a range of artistic and musical activities. Provide a warm welcome to services users, carers and the public, Welcome Volunteers, Knowledge Centre and Chapel Volunteers. Support service users in practical activities such as gardening. Offer assistance with some of our research projects. (A separate list will provide a more comprehensive guide to the projects) How much time will I need to give? Projects vary considerably but the majority require as little as 2-3 hours per week. Most of our projects require volunteers to attend at agreed pre determined times and some projects operate on a rota system. Where will I be based? The Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust covers a wide geographical area and we currently have volunteer projects at St. Nicholas Hospital in Gosforth, Northgate Hospital and St. Georges Park in Morpeth, Walkergate Park, Hexham, Alnwick, North Tyneside as well as some community health centres. Volunteer Befrienders also work on a one-to-one basis with service users in the community throughout the Newcastle area. Can I volunteer during weekends or evenings? The vast majority of volunteer projects operate during weekdays between 9am to 5pm however the Befriending Scheme offers a little more flexibility where visits in some cases, may be arranged in the evenings. Volunteers also assist with the chapel service on Saturdays at St. Georges Park in Morpeth. 4

5 Can I volunteer for a couple of weeks over the summer holidays? No, in order to meet the needs of our services, we request an expected minimum commitment of 3 months (6 months for the Befriending Service). Will I receive expenses? Yes, all volunteers are entitled to agreed actual out of pocket expenses for their volunteering role and to attend training and support sessions. Will I receive training? Yes. All volunteers will attend Volunteer Induction Training, this will cover: Welcome to the Trust How to get the best out of Volunteering Boundaries Confidentiality Health and Safety Moving and Handling Safeguarding adults Equality and Diversity Support and supervision Volunteers are issued with a handbook at training. Volunteers will be asked to attend Fire Training and Control and Prevention of Infection Training. De-escalation training may be arranged for volunteers in some projects. Additional training will be dependent upon your chosen project. On the job training will be provided for the majority of roles while others e.g. the Service User Representative Scheme or Befriending, require further training to fully equip the volunteers with the skills and information required to successfully undertake the role. Further training may be provided periodically to meet the changing needs of the project. All volunteers will be issued with a Role Description outlining the expectations and duties of the volunteer role. Training sessions are frequently arranged at evening times as an alternative to daytime sessions to fit into the busy schedules of our volunteers 5

6 What support will I receive? Ongoing support will be provided by the Volunteer Co-ordinator and the Project Lead. The Project Lead is a manager or healthcare professional from the service in which the volunteer is placed. Some projects also have additional monthly peer support group sessions. What can I gain from Volunteering? Feedback from volunteers suggest that their participation offers the opportunity to: Learn new and enhance existing skills. Gain confidence and self-esteem. Gain valuable experience. Gain an insight into a career option. Develop team-building skills. Develop communication and interpersonal skills. Meet new people. Gain structure. Make a difference. Help others. Use spare time purposefully. Gain a sense of well-being. People with first hand experience of our services often see volunteering as an opportunity to give something back or to use their unique insight to help develop and shape new services. How do I become a Volunteer? Make an appointment to see the Volunteer Co-ordinator for an informal interview. This will provide you with an opportunity to find out more about our service and the projects that we have to offer. It will also provide us with an opportunity to learn about your skills and interests. You will not be pressurised into volunteering when you attend the interview. Preferences for projects will be discussed but we are unable to guarantee a placement at this stage. You will be required to complete a Registration Form (this will be sent to you with the confirmation of your appointment). The form will request the 6

7 names and addresses of two referees. We cannot accept references from friends or family members. The Volunteer Co-ordinator will be happy to offer assistance to complete the form if required. As our roles involve volunteering with vulnerable people you will be asked to undertake clearance with the Criminal Records Bureau at enhanced level. When you make an appointment a letter will be sent out to you providing details of the documentation that is required for this check e.g. passport, driving licence, utility bills etc. You will also be required to complete a Criminal Records Form. This form will request your addresses over the past five years with the dates that you lived at each address. The Volunteer Co-ordinator will be happy to assist you in completing the form if required. The completed form will be passed to our Human resources Department for verification and then forwarded to the Criminal Records Bureau.When clearance is completed, identical notification will be sent directly to you and to ourselves. The Trust operates an equal opportunities policy and having a criminal record will not automatically preclude you from participating as a volunteer. Each case will be examined on an individual basis but must take into consideration the safety and wellbeing of our service users. When can I start volunteering? You may start your voluntary role when the registration, screening and training process has been satisfactorily completed, an available vacancy is identified and upon agreement with the Volunteer Co-ordinator and Project lead. We do our upmost to place volunteers as quickly as possible however the time taken to complete this process may be dependent upon a number of factors: The length of time it takes to receive references and CRB checks. Your availability to attend training. We appreciate that sometimes volunteers experience difficulties in attending pre- arranged training. We are happy to offer later alternative dates, however this may delay your starting date. There may also be occasional delays in the availability of some project training as this is arranged in accordance with the needs of the project leads and the numbers of volunteers able to participate. The availability of vacancies in your chosen project. A range of project options will be identified with the Volunteer Co-ordinator, however some projects may have a full complement of volunteers. 7

8 What if I have a comment, suggestion, compliment or complaint about the service? If you want to make a comment, suggestion, compliment or complaint you can talk to the people directly involved in your care or you can complete a feedback form. Feedback forms are available from Trust staff Complaints Department Tel: You can complete a feedback form electronically by visiting the Trust Website (click on the Contact Us tab) Should you wish to become a volunteer or require further information please contact: The Voluntary Services Department is based at St Nicholas Hospital and employs three team members: Christine Lopez, Voluntary Services Manager christine.lopez@ntw.nhs.uk Wendy M Spratt, Volunteer Co-ordinator, wendy.spratt@ntw.nhs.uk Joanne Hanlon, Administrator, joanne.hanlon@ntw.nhs.uk Voluntary Services Department Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust St Nicholas Hospital Jubilee Road Gosforth Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 3XT Tel: Published by the Voluntary Services Department 2011 Copyright, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust Ref, VS01 October 2011 V1 Tel: Review date