Helping Pendleside as a Volunteer

Why do we need volunteers?
Ever since the Hospice began in the late 1980s, it has been a community project. It could not have happened without volunteers taking part in all the wide range of activities.

The need for hospice care in Burnley and Pendle is increasing and Pendleside Hospice relies on the generosity of the community to continue its vital work for the terminally ill.  We are indebted to our supporters who help us in a variety of ways, including making donations towards our considerable running costs, as well as in practical ways as volunteers

Volunteers are a vital and important part of the Hospice team. They can be employed, unemployed or retired, homemakers or business people. But all are caring, concerned people who have chosen to become part of a growing family of Hospice workers. Their own skills are supplemented by training from the professional staff.

The following are just a few examples of where volunteers can make a big difference, where interests and skills can be put to good use:
 

Patient care
·        General help with patient care in Day Therapy or Inpatients

·        Assisting with recreational, music or art therapy in Day Therapy

·        Providing transportation for patients to and/or from the Hospice (you must have your own car). All costs are reimbursable

·        With appropriate qualifications or experience, your help in any of the following areas would be welcomed: chiropody, hair care, manicure and beautician services 

Support work
·        Domestic support work including cleaning, laundry and ironing, etc.

·        Building maintenance

·        Gardening

·        Office work: typing, filing, computer data entry, mailings, photocopying, other general office duties

·        Reception desk

Our shops
·        Helping in our charity shops located in:

o       Barnoldswick

o       Brierfield

o       Burnley (Keirby Walk)

o       Burnley (Colne Road)

o       Colne

o       Nelson

o       Padiham

Fundraising

·        Helping with the wide range of fundraising activities

·        Helping with publicity

How are volunteers trained? Hospice volunteers receive both in-house and external training. For all hospice-based volunteers (located in patient areas) there is a general induction course and annual fire awareness training, which they must attend prior to commencement as a volunteer.

• 
  The induction course is designed to:
  
  provide new volunteers with further information about each hospice area and meet staff and other experienced volunteers
  outline the tasks/duties volunteers perform in those areas
  detail policies / procedures, e.g. manual handling, health & safety, etc.
  promote communication skills, with an emphasis on listening and bereavement

Most importantly, these sessions enable a number of like-minded people to come together, to share the experience, learn together and potentially answer questions that they may not have thought of prior to the course. 

 These courses usually run over 4 sessions every six months or sooner, depending upon demand and staff availability.
Some of the comments received from attendees include:

“interesting”               “thought-provoking”              “clear”

“practical”                   “enjoyable”

 Having completed the induction course, volunteers are given your own copy of our Volunteer Handbook, together with a Volunteer Agreement, which provide a lot of background information about volunteering at the Hospice.

There is other key training learnt on-the-job, specific to the area a volunteer is placed and will involve shadowing existing experienced volunteers. Staff will also be on hand to help with training and support generally, together with role-specific handbooks to provide further guidance.

Placements

Each volunteer applying to work in the Hospice comes to discuss volunteering and placement opportunities.  Every attempt will be made to assign a volunteer to their area of particular interest. However, at certain times this may not be possible as certain areas can become ‘saturated’ with volunteers and alternative placements are offered in areas where the Hospice most needs assistance at that time.

Volunteers may undertake to help us on a weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or on an as needed / ad hoc basis.

Commitment of time

While volunteers are not required to give a predetermined number of hours per year, we do expect you to complete any placements you accept. We’re also aware that there may be times when you are not able to volunteer and ask for as much notice as possible to get cover.

Hospice volunteer’s qualities

• We value involvement from all walks of life. The following is a list of what we look for in potential volunteers:
  
  Sense of humour
  Flexibility
  Compassion
  Non-judgemental acceptance of others
  Ability to relate to many situations
  Reliability and conscientiousness
  Creative minds and practical fundraising skills
  Commitment to the hospice philosophy
  Respect for patient’s needs for confidentiality
  Resolution of one’s own grief experiences

What the Hospice can offer in return

At the same time, we hope to give in return, whether it is:

·        Life experience

·        Socialisation

·        Career prospects

·        Friendship circle

·        Self-worth / self esteem

·        Professional and personal skills

You CAN do it and you WILL be VALUABLE, do not doubt it!!

Volunteer meetings / open events

We like to involve and support volunteers in all that we do at the Hospice. This includes holding meetings every few months where our volunteers can discuss matters that affect them all and where senior people such as the Clinical Services Manager or Chief Executive can listen and brief volunteers on what’s going to happen.

Pendleside Hospice welcomes all new volunteers to our team

Please contact Christine Ainsworth on 01282 440100or e-mail christine.ainsworth@pendleside.org.uk