Volunteers

We encourage people from a variety of backgrounds, ages and levels of experience to join our volunteer community and offer a wide range of roles at our Oxford Road Campus Hospitals,  Wythenshawe Hospital, Withington Community Hospital, Trafford General Hospital and Altrincham General Hospital.

Wherever you join us, we aim to find a role that best suits you and your individual strengths.

You could meet and greet our patients and visitors, help transport them around Oxford Road on our eco-bus. Alternatively, you could assist in one of our tea bars, direct patients at an Information Desk or provide administrative support to staff, including interpretation and translation.

If you’re an animal lover, you might want to consider getting involved with our Pets-As-Therapy service. You could take part in engaging patients with activity packs (including cards, boards, games, paints and crafts). Some volunteers help to provide entertainment for sick children through our Radio Lollipop service. Or perhaps you’d prefer to become a dining companion to help improve the patient experience at mealtimes.

There are also opportunities to get involved in very specific departments,  where age restrictions apply. These include:

• Critical Care – helping to reduce isolation through activities and conversation
• Paediatric and Adult A&E – acting as a point of information and advice for patients and relatives

As a volunteer, you’ll enjoy a special one-day induction course to welcome you to the Trust. We’ll also provide training relevant to your role – from the use of wheelchairs to safeguarding awareness and dementia care. Our team of experienced senior volunteers will be on hand to offer you support and encouragement. In return for your commitment, we’ll provide you with a uniform and cover reasonable travel expenses.

If you’re aged 16 or over, you can apply to become a volunteer. If you’re under 18, you must have a signed parental/carer consent form.

Here are the steps you’ll need to follow:

Complete an application form here [http://bttr.im/eafgo]

This will tell us a bit about yourself and your reasons for wanting to volunteer, as well as your previous experience and specific skills. Once you’ve submitted your application, you’ll receive an automatic email with further documentation which you’ll need to complete before we can consider your application.

If you’re shortlisted at the first stage, we’ll want to meet you. Our day together is a chance for us to get to know you, and for you to get to know us. There are group interviews and fun exercises in the morning as well as an overview of the Trust, along with information about volunteering and our values and behaviours.

At lunch time, we’ll discuss your suitability for the role. You can also decide not to continue if you decide volunteering isn’t for you.

In the afternoon, we organise mandatory training in the core skills you need to get started as a volunteer, for those suitable , to volunteer.

If we offer you a volunteer role, we’ll need you to take part in a series of online assessments to establish what you learned on the induction day. The assessments can be done at home, in your free time, and are quick and easy to follow – and we’ll give you a Volunteers’ Certificate when you complete them.

If you need any further information or support, please get in touch with us at volunteer.services@mft.nhs.uk, or phone 0161 276 5190.