Volunteer Visitor

To befriend patients and provide individual support to enabling patients in one of our Forensic units who have little or no contact with persons outside the Hospital to take part in social contacts and provide them with an opportunity to develop links with the outside community.  Volunteer Visitors are social visitors who visit their befriendee at least once a month during normal visiting hours.

Key tasks:
*To visit at least once a fortnight
*Maintain regular contact with befriendee, Involvement, Experience & Volunteering Team and the befriendee’s Social Work Team.
* Volunteers are required to be of a mature, cheerful, chatty, non-judgemental temperament with a good general knowledge and the ability to talk on many different subjects whilst adhering to the rules of the scheme.
*Participate in training course, on-going supervision and support
*Cope with locked doors, rules and regulations and discreet observation of visit by ward staff
* Able to accept role boundaries
*Minimum age is 21.
*Once accepted as visitors, the volunteer will be matched with a patient who most meets their hobbies, interests and ethnicity and gender.

Desired skills and experience:
*Experience of volunteering/working with mental health, Intellectual difficulties
*Experience of volunteering/working in a medium or low secure setting
*Listening skills
*Sensitive and tactful nature
*Emotionally mature
*Compassion
*Reliable & trustworthy
We will provide:
*Supervision and support from a dedicated member of staff within the Involvement, Experience & Volunteering Team
*Induction to Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
*Specific training for the role
*On-going up-dates and information
*Reimbursement of travel expenses
*References can be provided after six months of volunteering