ROLE DESCRIPTIONFOR VOLUNTEERING

Volunteering role title / Cardiac SurgeryVolunteer
Main aim of volunteering role / To support patients visiting the Cardiac Pre-operative Assessment Clinics by providing standardised information on what the patients can expect to happen after cardiac surgery.
Patients are offered the opportunity to meet with a volunteer as part of their pre-operative assessment journey.
Volunteers are a team of people who have had personal experience of heart surgery, either themselves or someone close to them.
Volunteering location and hospital site / Cardiac Pre-operative Assessment Clinics / Outpatients Department, Bristol Heart Institute
Volunteers will meet with patients in the seating area outside the Department
Named Contact for day to day accountability for volunteer / Nicola Lukaszewicz – Clinical Lead for Pre-operative Assessment and Outpatients Services
Member of staff with overall responsibility for volunteer / Judith Reed, Voluntary Services Manager
Telephone 0117 34 21530
Timesavailable for volunteering / Monday – Friday
9.00am – 5.00pm
Duration of volunteering role / On-going
Volunteers are asked to commitment to a regular session on a weekly basis, for at least six months minimum
Level of Disclosure and Barring check required / Standard
Description of main tasks specific to the volunteering role
  • To liaise with the Pre-operative Nurse to determine which patients to meet with.
  • To meet with patients and provide standardised information as part of patients’ pre-operative assessment journey. Volunteers are provided with a Discussion Sheet which contains all the information to be passed onto the patient.
  • To attend training sessions when requested to ensure that the information provided to patients remains up to date.
  • When volunteering to meet with all cardiac surgery patients who wish to talk with a volunteer.
  • To provide information to each patient to the same high standard and in a timely manner.
  • To provide a listening ear to patients and their family/carers
  • To refer patients to the Pre-operative Assessment Nurse or Physiotherapist should the patient have any queries beyond the set standardised information that volunteers can share.
  • To respect patients’ wishes if they do not want to meet with a volunteer.
  • When not meeting patients, helping staff with administration, such as filing notes, putting patient packs together.
  • There may be the opportunity to visit cardiac patients on wards; this will be at the direction of the Clinical Lead for Pre-operative Assessment

Details of any specific skills / attributes required by volunteer:
  • Personal experience of cardiac surgery, either themselves or someone close to them
  • Good social and communication skills
  • Helpful and accommodating manner
  • Caring attitude
  • Patience and understanding
  • Willingness to take direction from clinical staff and update knowledge on cardiac surgery and rehabilitation
  • Good organisational skills so patients are met in a timely manner
  • Ability to file accurately and make patient packs up correctly

What can the volunteer gain from the volunteering role
  • Knowing what you do can make a difference to a patient’s pre-operative assessment journey
  • Opportunity to work as part of a team providing care to cardiac surgery patients
  • Experience of working in a hospital setting

A volunteer is a valued member of University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and is expected:
  • To volunteer within the guidelines agreed by the Voluntary Services Manager and Named Contact for the placement.
  • To carry out their duties with consideration and respect to all staff, general public, Foundation Trust members and patients at all times.
  • To maintain confidentiality at all times, whilst on placement and once the placement is complete.
  • To maintain good standards of communication with staff, general public and patients at all times
  • To comply with the Trust’s Health & Safety Policy and other policies provided to the volunteer at the commencement of their placement.
  • To attend all training deemed by the Trust to be essential to the volunteering role, in a timely manner.

University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust is committed to ensuring that volunteers are treated with respect and courtesy and to ensure that they receive appropriate training for the placements they undertake.
University Hospitals Bristol is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people and vulnerable adults, and as such expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
You have a responsibility for contributing to the reduction of infections.
This is not a contractual relationship between University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the volunteer.

Date of role description: October 2016

Review date: October 2018

Risk assessment date: November 2016

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