What you will be doing:
Your role will include some of, but is not restricted to, the following tasks:
* Supporting the medical team to offer a positive end of life experience.
* Spending time listening and talking with patients, family, friends, and carers.
* Giving family members/carers a short break.
* Sharing information about local support services and signposting to other Marie Curie resources and services, if appropriate.
* Writing and submitting, to the Volunteer Manager, a short report on each visit.
* Keeping the Volunteer Manager informed of any changes in connection with the patient, either in person or by telephone.
* Being an active team member of the Marie Curie Companion service.
* Attending group support and development sessions.
Location: Sunderland Royal Hospital
The qualities, skills and experience you will need:
* Comfortable being with, and talking about death and dying
* Caring and compassionate
* Patience, empathic and self-aware
* Confident communicator, verbally and in writing
* Excellent listener
* Friendly and good humoured
* Resilient and able to accept feedback
* Reliable and good timekeeper
* Able to use their own initiative and accept offers of support
* Able to be a committed and supportive team member
What can you gain from this opportunity:
* A real sense of purpose and pride in contributing to Marie Curie's mission to close the gap in end-of-life care.
* An excellent opportunity to build on your skills and experience in a charity environment.
* Full training, ongoing guidance, wellbeing support and supervision in your role.
* Recognition for your time.
* Agreed reasonable out-of-pocket expenses.
What we ask of you:
* To provide two references from non-family members and other relevant documents related to the role.
* To keep to all the charity's policies and procedures.
* Access to a personal email account.
* To complete an induction and any training related to the role.
* Complete mandatory training and role related renewals.
* Minimum age age of 18
* Commitment requirement of 3 hours per week for a minimum of 1 year
What you'll gain:
* Full training, ongoing guidance and wellbeing support
* Recognition for your time
* Deep sense of purpose
* Meet amazing people and grow your skills
* Be part of the UK's leading end-of-life charity
Perks:
* Travel and expenses covered
* Access to discounts on shopping, dining, travel and more
Please note: This opportunity requires you to submit a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Application - Marie Curie will cover the cost of this.
Need more information
Contact our Volunteer Services Officer
At Marie Curie, our values are central to everything we do. They guide how we care for people, how we work together, and how we make decisions every day. We are committed to creating a workplace that is safe for everyone - staff and volunteers alike - supportive, inclusive and rewarding. We take stringent steps to ensure that anyone who joins our organisation are suitable for their roles and are committed to safeguarding all our people from harm. We actively consider our impact on the planet, embedding sustainability into everyday decisions to create a lasting, positive difference for the individuals we care for and the world we share.
We believe everyone should have the opportunity to thrive and fulfil their potential. Marie Curie is deeply committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, recognising both the social justice imperative and the strength a diverse workforce brings. We actively encourage applications from people of all cultures, perspectives and lived experiences.
We are happy to make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process. If you require any support, please contact us at
Every application we receive is personally reviewed by a member of our Talent Acquisition team, and in return, we ask that your application authentically reflects you - your experience, perspective and voice.