Dragonfly End of Life Companion Volunteer

Job summary

St Johns Hospice services provide symptom management and end of life care for patients with palliative illness.

We are looking to recruit volunteers to work with patients who are at the end of their life, their families and the wider team at St John's Hospice.

'Dragonfly' volunteers are a new role to hospice services and you would be part of developing this new initiative and really making a difference to the care and support our patients and families receive.

The purpose of the dragonfly is to assist the provision of a supportive and peaceful presence to patients who are dying and their families, initially this will be supporting patients and families in the hospice but will extend to patient's homes in the future. Volunteers will work with staff to provide a reassuring presence, information gathering, companionship and help inform a patient's care plan focusing on their individual needs.

We would encourage anyone interested to contact Barry Martin, Hospice Ward Manager on 03000 214669 barry.martin2@nhs.netor alternatively Sarah Bell, Clinical Team leader on 03000214666 sarah.bell7@nhs.net

Main duties of the job

The volunteer is required to work within the list of tasks identified as follows:

As directed by your nominated volunteer supervisor at the start of each shift; for Hospice Inpatient this would be the Nurse Co-ordinator, for community this would be Community End of Life Team

Provide support to patients and families by offering companionship, and comfort, and complementary therapy e.g. Hand Massage (where trained)

Be respectful and responsive to the patients family and friends

Engage patients in conversation, reading, basic personal grooming such as brushing hair or doing makeup, or activities as appropriate to encourage a positive distraction

Offer to undertake errands or tasks to support the patient or family such as making drinks/refreshments, signposting to other services and facilities etc

Take time to be a companion to patients referred to you, building a supportive and professional relationship with them

Report any concerns, feedback and issues as required to ward staff, Palliative Care, or other appropriate team

Feedback to your nominated volunteer supervisor about your visits (using the Patient Activity Form)

About us

Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) employ around 3700 talented colleagues who are very much appreciated, valued, and respected.

We have a wide portfolio which includes mental health, physical health, learning disability and drug and alcohol services.

We are passionate about enhancing the quality of our service and we work hard to attract and select the right colleagues for our organisation. Our goal is to employ those who share our passion for providing first class care while remaining committed to our vision and values. Please view our Strategy using the link below:

https://www.rdash.nhs.uk/documents/clinical-and-organisational-strategy-2023-to-2028/

To find out more about working for RDaSH and the fantastic benefits we offer visit our website:

https://workwithrdash.co.uk/

We are committed to inclusive cultures and really value people in our organisation, view our Allyship video on YouTube to find out more:

https://youtu.be/WMJSkLoTk4Q

The main terms and conditions of service can be found here:

https://www.nhsemployers.org/publications/tchandbook