Employer University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Bristol Royal Infirmary Town Bristol Closing 08/07/2025 23:59
End of Life Care Volunteer (Bristol)
As an organisation we recognise the value of a healthy work-life balance. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate flexible working, so your work life fits around your home life.
We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within the Trust.
PLEASE NOTE THIS VACANCY HAS LIMITED AVAILABILITY AND WILL AUTOMATICALLY CLOSE WHEN THE LIMIT IS REACHED. WE ADVISE AN EARLY APPLICATION SUBMISSION.
We are seeking End of life care Volunteers at UHBW. This role involves providing support and care to patients and their loved ones
in a hospital setting, in the last days and weeks of a patient’s life.
We ask volunteers to commit to one volunteering session per week for at least 6 months.
We are looking for Volunteers who:
• Are passionate about making a difference to patients and those around them atthe end of life, through care and compassion.
• Have the ability to communicate well with patients, staff and the public.
• Have an awareness and pro-active approach to your own self-care needs, especially if you have
personal experience of loss, bereavement and grief.
• Are comfortable in a hospital setting and have the confidence to volunteer on a ward independently.
• Have empathy, transparency and be non-judgemental in your approach.
• Are able to use your initiative and apply common sense but also knowing when to seek support.
• Are courteous, friendly and have an approachable manner.
• Reliable, punctual and trustworthy.
• Flexible and adaptable, recognising that patient needs may change.
• Have the ability to follow infection prevention and control standards in place (including wearing
appropriate personal protective equipment, PPE) in the hospitals, and tactfully and
sensitively be able to encourage visitors to follow those same standards.
• Have an understanding and ability to implement good personal and professional boundaries.
• Ability to engage with support and supervision provided, including 1:1’s and/or groups.
Main duties of the job
End of Life Care Volunteers provide support and care to patients and their loved ones/carers, by carrying out tasks such as:
• Sitting quietly by the bedside to reassure patients and their loved ones or carers that they are not alone in the last days of their life.
• Spending time with patients to allow their loved ones or carers to take a break.
• Engaging in activities such as reading a patient’s favourite book to them or holding their hand for comfort.
• Sharing information about the services available to the loved ones or carers of patients who are dying.
• Offering a listening ear to both patients and their loved ones.
• Volunteering alongside and engaging with Health Care staff on your allocated ward(s) andcommunicating patient needs as required.
• Making a written record of your visits using the agreed process.
• Engaging in one to one and group volunteer support sessions as agreed.
Working for our organisation
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England.
UHBW has been rated by the CQC as ‘Good’ overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston and beyond. As a forward thinking multi-award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world-leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact.
Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the
countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them.
Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the role profile document attached to this vacancy.
Person specification
Basic Criteria
* Describes how skills, experiences and values will benefit others
* Explains why they want to volunteer
* Availability matches requirements of role
* Acknowledgement of role requirements
* Desire to volunteer and help patients
We hope that you will decide to join us and become part of this exciting journey, helping us to shape our future together.
· As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
· The Trust is committed to investing in and caring for all our staff. We will support you in maintaining and improving your health and wellbeing, as well as your career development through management and training support - developing exceptional people for exceptional careers.
· UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
· To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 all applicants must be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed at Interview.
· If you require sponsorship for a visa to work in the UK, to avoid disappointment, please check to ensure you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.
· The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.
· By applying for this post, you are agreeing to University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
· Please be aware of scams – unless specified above, we will only communicate with you via @recruit.trac.jobs or nhs.net e-mails and we will never ask you for any payments.
IMPORTANT:
Please note that if you apply for a position with this Trust, you may be contacted via Trac or via email. This includes invites for job interviews. We therefore recommend that you regularly check your Trac account and email accounts. We may also contact you by texting the mobile number, if provided, on the application form.
Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore, please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification
Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.
As a guide interviews should usually take place within 3 weeks of the closing date.
When providing employment reference details, please provide correct work-related email addresses so references can be sought promptly when we are looking to progress your application. Your referee must all be known to you in a line manager or professional lead capacity.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
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