Volunteering FAQs
We accept volunteers who are 16 or older (there is no upper age limit to volunteering with us although some services may require you to be aged 18 or older) and can commit to at least three hours a week, for a minimum of six months.
Unfortunately some of our clinical areas and departments are unable to accept volunteers.
Training for volunteers
You don’t need any formal qualifications as we’ll provide a local induction and any training that you might need to carry out your role. You’ll also have a supervisor or mentor to help support you and make sure you’re comfortable with your responsibilities.
We provide care with a focus on safety and will also ask you to complete refresher annual training to continue volunteering with us. We'll always try to do this one-to-one or in a group session.
Volunteering and your benefits
In most cases, volunteering will not affect your benefits but there are some exceptions.
Find out more about volunteering and your benefits on the gov.uk website (opens new browser tab)
Applying for a volunteering opportunity
If you apply for a role, we’ll invite you for an informal chat. You can ask any questions and find out more about the role and the team you’ll be volunteering with. For most roles, you don’t need any specific skills or experience. If you’re applying for a role that does, we’ll make sure we talk through any requirements with you at this point.
We’ll also ask for references from your past or current employers or people of good standing in your community, such as a community leader, GP, faith leader or teacher.
Finally we’ll ask you to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check before starting as a volunteer.
Please read through the opportunities carefully before applying. Please contact us if you have any questions