Volunteers - Application Form

We are looking for friendly, kind, caring and positive volunteers to help us, especially during this busy time. 

Our current volunteering roles include:

  • 'Helping Hands' volunteer - based in one of our community hospitals, you could be involved in befriending patients - spending time chatting and listening, supporting with mealtimes, recreational activities such as reading and playing games or helping the staff on the ward.  Our community hospital are based in Blandford, Bridport, Swanage, Weymouth, Sherborne, Shaftesbury, Poole and Wimborne.
     
  • Chaplaincy team - offering kindness to patients during their hospital admission, also their carers, friends and family.  Spend time talking and listening providing emotional, social,  spiritual and multi-faith support.
     
  • Gardening volunteer - a healthy activity whilst helping to keep our gardens across our sites beautiful and veg patches thriving. You will be engaging with other volunteers or helping patients to enjoy the outside space.
     
  • 'Meet and Greet' volunteer - based at our Shelley Road site in Boscombe. At this site, our audiology service run patient facing appointments and clinics and needs 'meet and greet' volunteers to help direct people to the right place in the building and to reassure patients coming to attend appointments who may be feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed.
     
  • League of Friends volunteer - this is a fundraising role to support our community hospitals to provide many amenities for patients and staff that are not covered by the NHS. This can be done through running a local shop or supporting at a variety of fundraising events. 

If you think you can help and support us, please complete the form below and we will respond to you.

Your Details

Gender *
Do you hold a valid driving licence? *
Do you have access to a vehicle? *

Person to notify in case of emergency

Please remember to keep us informed of any changes so that our records are kept up-to-date
How did you find out about our volunteering role(s)? *

Occupational Health Disclosure

Please review and answer the following statements. (Please tick the answer that applies to you). *
If you do indicate that you have a health condition or disability then our Occupational Health Team will make contact with you before you start. Contact may also be made by Occupational Health if your references raise any health conditions or information which might affect your volunteering.

References

We do need to take up references so please give the names and addresses of two referees. If you are currently, or have recently been in employment or involved in any voluntary work, one of your references should be from that organisation. References must be from people who are over the age of 18 and who have known you for at least 2 years. Relatives or partners cannot act as referees.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

The organisation aims to promote equality of opportunity and is committed to treating all applicants for positions fairly and on merit regardless of ethnicity, disability, age, gender or gender re-assignment, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity and marriage or civil partnership. The organisation undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against applicants on the basis of a criminal conviction or other information declared.
You will need to complete a Disclosure & Barring Service criminal record disclosure for this position because you will have direct contact with vulnerable adults and/or children when you volunteer. You are required to declare all current unspent criminal convictions or cautions (including reprimands and final warnings). In addition, you are required to disclose spent convictions, cautions, reprimands or final warnings unless they are protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). You are not required to tell us about parking offences.
Are you bound over or do you have any convictions, cautions, reprimands or final warnings that are not protected? *
Are you currently bound over or do you have any current unspent convictions or cautions? *
Are you currently bound by any barring decision made by the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) from working with vulnerable adults and/or children? *
Answering yes will not necessarily bar you from volunteering. This will depend on the relevance of the information you provide in respect of the nature of the position for which you are applying and the particular circumstances. Please call us if you would like to discuss further - we are here to help. You can also look at the guidance on the Disclosing and barring website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisationsdisclosure-and-barring-service

The Equality Act 2010 protects people against discrimination on the grounds of their age and sex, their race which includes colour, nationality, ethnic of national origin, their religion or belief, (including lack of any belief) and their sexual orientation

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COVID-19 Health Questionnaire

Completion of the health questionnaire will help us to risk assess the volunteer role we are able to offer you.
Do any of these apply to you? (Please tick all that apply)

Photo consent

This section is designed to protect our volunteers, patients, visitors, members of the public, staff and our agents from unwarranted harm or exploitation. Please read the declaration below: I give my consent to Dorset HealthCare that I/or the child in my care may be photographed or filmed by Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust or their PR agents for the sole and exclusive use - with or without a name or names - of publicising Dorset HealthCare activities in the local and/or national media for public relations/marketing/advertising/social media purposes. I also give consent for these images to be used to illustrate Dorset HealthCare brochures, letterheads, leaflets, posters, or similar print/digital materials. I understand that I have no interest in the copyright, nor any moral rights, in the photographs or videos and have no rights to benefit financially from publication of such material. I have read and understood the above declaration: *
I am signing as parent/guardian of person under 18

Confidentiality

In the discharge of your duties while volunteering at Dorset HealthCare you may be in possession of or have access to confidential information about the Trust, its policies, plans, practices, finances, staff and patient records. In accordance with the provisions of the prevailing Data Protection Act, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the NHS Confidentiality Code of Practice, Caldicott Principles, the Trust's own IT Acceptable Use Policy and Information Governance Policy you must not disclose or discuss such information outside your place of volunteering activity.

In addition, you must not disclose or discuss such information where you volunteer except in the proper discharge of your duties.

If you require advice or guidance about your responsibilities in relation to confidentiality you should seek further advice from your line manager/supervisor or the Volunteer Coordinator who is based within the Organisational Development Participation & Communications Directorate *

Personal declaration

    I understand:
  • The appointment if offered will be subject to the information given on this form being correct My obligations in respect of disclosure of information and that the appointment may be subject to a medical examination
  • I will not receive payment for my volunteering
  • I understand that the volunteering I do will be of a confidential nature and that anything I see or hear must be treated with the strictest confidence. My volunteering may involve issues and situations of a sensitive nature and I agree to always maintain confidentiality.
  • I will not use data belonging to Dorset HealthCare, e.g., patient details during my time as a volunteer. Or when I cease volunteering to make contact or provide a service, whether free or paid outside of the Trust
  • If you require advice or guidance about your responsibilities in relation to confidentiality you should seek further advice from the Volunteer Development Lead.
  • The Trust complies with the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998. All information held is in a confidential manner and I am bound by the Act whilst volunteering. I must maintain the confidentiality of any information I have been given access to in my time as a volunteer and after I have left the role
  • I must abide by the Dorset HealthCare Volunteer Agreement.
  • Volunteers are bound by the Health and Safety at Work Act.
  • The Trust reserves the right to request a Disclosure and Barring Service check at any time during your volunteer service.
*
As a Trust we meet GDPR requirements. We only capture this data for the sole purpose of processing your application. Please refer to our privacy notice for more detail. Thank you for completing this application form and for your interest in volunteering.

Agreement and Signature

I confirm the information provided is accurate and up to date *

Unable to submit your application? Email it instead to dhc.volunteers@nhs.net

Volunteers