Volunteer vacancies

Opportunity available

Every weekday, AM and PM.

Volunteer information

This role is to help maintain our CQC standards around patients, families and GPs receiving clinic information in a timely fashion. It also includes other associated admin duties.

Sessions are normally two to three hours in length. You can do more than one session per week. This commitment is usually for a minimum of 3 months.

You can claim your travel expenses and will attract a meal voucher if you are on duty for more than four hours on a shift. This opportunity also allows you to have a drinks voucher to claim one free drink per shift.

Please remember to wear your badge and uniform on each shift.  

Volunteer skills needed to support this unit

• Able to communicate with all levels of Trust staff
• Able to work on your own sometimes, using your own initiative when situations arise
• You need to be motivated, energetic, patient, caring and compassionate
• Ability to multitask and switch from task to task fairly quickly
• Attention to detail
• Be reliable, dependable and flexible
• Good literacy skills

Volunteer duties (not an exhaustive list)

• Collection of clinic letters from various offices across the Trust acute site
• Enveloping clinic letters and getting them to the post room in a timely fashion
• You may also be given the opportunity to do other admin tasks or support work as opportunities arise

Opportunity available

Monday 8.30am to 12.30pm.

Volunteer information

This opportunity starts in September 2023 and is on a Monday morning 8.30am to 12.30pm based with the Rheumatology team at the Ryegate Centre. Supporting the children and the Hydrotherapist. You will be ‘dry-side’ (not in the pool) offering support and taking note of observations.

This commitment is usually for a minimum of 6 months.

You can claim your travel expenses and will attract a meal voucher if you are on duty for more than four hours on a shift.

Please remember to wear your uniform top on shift but it may not be appropriate to have your badge on a lanyard around your neck.

Volunteer skills needed to support this unit

• Evacuation training – which will be provided
• Able to communicate with all levels of Trust staff
• You need to be motivated, energetic, patient, caring and compassionate
• Ability to chat to children and their families
• Must have good mobility
• Ability to take clear notes or observations

Volunteer duties (not an exhaustive list)

• Support the therapist to get the child into the hydrotherapy pool
• Pass equipment and aids as requested
• Chat to family members
• Encourage child throughout activities
• Make written notes and observations as directed by the therapist
• Keep poolside clean and tidy
• Support with evacuation duties if required and as instructed

Opportunity available

Every weekday, AM and PM.

Volunteer information

This opportunity is to support the League of Friends charity shop. There are 2 volunteers on each shift. Shifts are 10am to 1pm and 1pm to 4pm.

Flexible holiday cover also needed.

This charity supports various activities within the hospital and they are the people who sponsor our volunteer uniforms. It is a different and separate charity to the Children’s Hospital Charity.

This commitment is usually for a minimum of 6 months.

You can claim your travel expenses and will attract a meal voucher if you are on duty for more than four hours on a shift. You will also be able to claim one free drink per shift

Please remember to wear your badge and uniform on each shift.  

Volunteer skills needed

• Any retail experience would be beneficial
• Able to communicate with children of different ages and their families and carers
• Able to communicate with all levels of Trust staff
• You need to be motivated, energetic and confident
• Experience of handling cash and taking card payments would be a bonus

Volunteer duties (not an exhaustive list)

• Selling items available in the shop to patients and staff
• Taking cash and card payments
• Re-stocking shelves
• Cleaning and tidying
• Helping to move stock from storage area as required

Opportunity available

Monday PM, Tuesday AM, Tuesday PM, Thursday AM, Thursday PM, Friday AM, Friday PM

Volunteer information

This opportunity is to support the movement of essential supplies and equipment around the hospital. Based in our Stores Dept at the Trust acute site at Western Bank.

Shifts are usually around 3 hours but can be longer by arrangement.

On starting this opportunity you will be supported by staff in stores until you are confident with the system and the layout of various departments around the hospital site.

Don’t forget you can claim your travel expenses and will attract a meal voucher if you are on duty for more than four hours on a shift.

Please remember to wear your badge and t-shirt on each shift.

Volunteer skills needed for this role

• You will need to be physically fit enough to push a trolley or a cage with stock inside
• You need to be motivated and energetic
• You will need to be able to be on your feet for most of your shift
• Some lifting is expected but no-one is expected to life heavy boxes alone

Volunteer duties (not an exhaustive list)

• Collect items from Stores and deliver to various departments across the Sheffield Children’s Hospital acute site
• Maintain any paperwork expected and return same to stores
• On some days we take delivery of frozen meals from Foodworks – a local charity – these will be delivered to various ward freezers and the Junior Doctors Kitchen

Opportunity available

Monday AM, Monday PM, Tuesday AM, Tuesday PM, Friday AM, Friday PM

Volunteer information

This role is designed to offer relief and support to the families of children who are in-patients at the hospital. We offer over the clothes head, neck and shoulder massages and hand massages to parents and carers. Some parents practically live at the hospital for months at a time and can often be very stressed.

You will need to be a qualified massage therapist to apply for this role.

Sessions are normally three hours in length. You can do more than one session per week. This commitment is usually for a minimum of 6 months.

You can claim your travel expenses and will attract a meal voucher if you are on duty for more than four hours on a shift.

Please remember to wear your badge and uniform on each shift.  

Volunteer skills needed

• You will be a qualified massage therapist
• You must be able to cope with the potentially upsetting nature of conditions of patients on a ward
• Able to communicate with children of different ages and their families or carers
• Able to communicate with all levels of Trust staff
• You need to be motivated, energetic and confident

Volunteer duties (not an exhaustive list)

• Moving around the wards asking parents or carers if they would like a massage
• Massages can be done at a child’s bedside or in the ward’s parents room
• Offering hand massages or over the clothes head, neck and shoulder massages seated in a chair
• Keeping records of what has been offered and delivered on each ward and to whom noting any particular illnesses or conditions to be taken into account

Opportunity available

Monday 10am to 1pm

Volunteer information

This commitment is for a minimum of 6 months but can be longer.

Don’t forget you can claim your travel expenses and will attract a meal voucher if you are on duty for more than four hours on a shift.

You should never be expected to job substitute. This opportunity will support staff members, patients and their families as they attend the Medical Daycare Unit for tests and investigations.

Please remember to wear your badge and t-shirt on each shift.

Volunteer skills needed to support this unit

• Good overall knowledge of the hospital
• Able to communicate with children of different ages and their families and carers
• Able to communicate with all levels of Trust staff
• Able to work on your own, using your own initiative when situations arise
• You need to be motivated, energetic, patient, caring and compassionate
• Ability to multitask and switch from task to task fairly quickly
• Accuracy and attention to detail is important

Volunteer duties (not an exhaustive list)

• Priority of play and keeping the patients busy and happy, playing games, craft activities
• Distraction – for example blowing bubbles, reading during painful procedures
• Setting up play activities ie colouring, play dough etc
• Playing with children while parents get food or a drink etc
• Keeping the unit bravery certificate file up to date, stickers and colouring
• Cleaning and tidying toys
• Helping with home-work
• Collecting items for pharmacy
• Taking items to pharmacy
• Asking for snack box orders or hot meals – taking orders and collecting them
• Escorting families to other departments such as xray or outpatients
• Helping to maintain play rooms areas and generally tidying away games/toys
• Running errands
• Tidying storage areas
• Meeting and greeting families

Opportunity available

Monday AM, Monday PM, Tuesday AM, Wednesday PM, Thursday PM, Friday AM, Friday PM

Volunteer information

The aim of this opportunity is to engage with children waiting for outpatient appointments. You will be chatting and playing with various types of toys and encouraging children to do craft activities as they wait to see the consultant.

Sessions are normally three hours in length. You can do more than one session per week. This commitment is usually for a minimum of 6 months.

You can claim your travel expenses and will attract a meal voucher if you are on duty for more than four hours on a shift. This opportunity also allows you to have a drinks voucher to claim one free drink per shift.

Please remember to wear your badge and uniform on each shift.  

Volunteer skills needed to support this unit

• Able to communicate with children of different ages and their families or carers
• Able to communicate with all levels of Trust staff
• Able to work on your own sometimes, using your own initiative when situations arise
• You need to be motivated, energetic, patient, caring and compassionate
• Ability to multitask and switch from task to task fairly quickly
• You must be able to engage children in the activities on offer and encourage them to be involved

Volunteer duties (not an exhaustive list)

• Playing games with patients
• Arts and craft activities
• Preparing and maintaining resources for future use
• Helping to maintain play areas or tables and generally tidying away games or toys
• Reading to patients
• General support to play specialists or support workers
• Providing support to families or visitors
• Tidying storage areas
• Photocopying colouring resources etc
• Supporting other activities as directed and as arranged by the Play Specialists

Opportunity available

Every weekday, AM and PM

Volunteer information

Over 18s only.

The aim of this opportunity is to engage with children waiting in the Emergency Dept and being admitted to the Acute Assessment Unit. You will be chatting and playing with various types of toys and encouraging children to do craft activities as they wait to see the doctor or as they wait to move to a ward.

Sessions are normally three hours in length. You can do more than one session per week. This commitment is usually for a minimum of 6 months.

You can claim your travel expenses and will attract a meal voucher if you are on duty for more than four hours on a shift. This opportunity also allows you to have a drinks voucher to claim one free drink per shift.

Please remember to wear your badge and uniform on each shift.  

Volunteer skills needed to support this unit

• You must be prepared for what can be difficult surroundings within the department
• Able to communicate with children of different ages and their families or carers
• Able to communicate with all levels of Trust staff
• Able to work on your own sometimes, using your own initiative when situations arise
• You need to be motivated, energetic, patient, caring and compassionate
• Ability to multitask and switch from task to task fairly quickly
• You must be able to engage children in the activities on offer and encourage them to be involved

Volunteer duties (not an exhaustive list)

• Playing games with patients, encouraging and distracting children
• Arts and craft activities
• Preparing and maintaining resources for future use
• Helping to maintain play areas or tables and generally tidying away games or toys
• Reading to patients
• General support to play specialists
• Providing support to families or visitors
• Tidying storage areas
• Photocopying colouring resources etc
• Supporting other activities as directed and as arranged by the Play Specialist

Opportunity available

Every weekday, AM and PM

Volunteer information

This role is designed to support the work of the play team on one of our wards.  You will be engaging children in play and craft activities.

Please note that it is unlikely that you will be offered a ward opportunity as a first option unless you have significant experience of engaging with children.

Sessions are normally three hours in length. You can do more than one session per week. This commitment is usually for a minimum of 6 months.

You can claim your travel expenses and will attract a meal voucher if you are on duty for more than four hours on a shift.

Please remember to wear your badge and uniform on each shift.  

Volunteer skills needed to support on a ward

• You must be able to cope with the potentially upsetting nature of conditions of patients on the ward
• Able to communicate with children of different ages and their families or carers
• Able to communicate with all levels of Trust staff
• Able to work on your own sometimes, using your own initiative when situations arise
• You need to be motivated, energetic and confident
• Helps if you have an interest in arts and crafts, are artistic or musical

Volunteer duties (not an exhaustive list)

• Playing games with patients
• Doing craft activities with patients at their bed-side or in a play room
• Helping to maintain play rooms or areas and generally tidying away games or toys
• Cleaning toys after use
• Reading to patients
• Creating or preparing arts and crafts resources for future use
• Helping to exhibit patients art work on the ward
• Helping patients to choose from menus
• General support to play specialists or support workers
• Running errands
• Tidying storage areas

Opportunity available

Monday PM, Tuesday AM, Wednesday AM, Friday PM

Volunteer information

This role is designed to support our visitors to find their way around the hospital and to make sure patients can check in for their outpatients appointments in the easiest way possible. The role includes you greeting people, giving instructions, taking people to various hospital departments and taking blood samples to the laboratories.

Sessions are normally three hours in length. You can do more than one session per week. This commitment is usually for a minimum of 6 months.

You can claim your travel expenses and will attract a meal voucher if you are on duty for more than four hours on a shift. This opportunity also allows you to have a drinks voucher to claim one free drink per shift.

Please remember to wear your badge and uniform on each shift.  

Volunteer skills needed for this opportunity

• Able to communicate with children of different ages and their families or carers and all levels of Trust staff
• Good customer service skills and confidence
• Able to work on your own sometimes
• You need to be motivated, energetic, patient, caring and compassionate
• Ability to multitask and switch from task to task fairly quickly
• Must have good mobility
• Knowledge of the hospital layout or map (support and training will be given)

Volunteer duties (not an exhaustive list)

• Situated at main reception to welcome all visitors to the hospital and offer help and support where appropriate
• Support patients and their families to use the out-patients dept including the self-check in facilities
• Ensure patients are directed or escorted to appropriate waiting areas for Out-patient appointments and other visits
• Escort patients to different areas of the hospital as required or as directed by clinical and support staff
• Support for clinical and non-clinical support staff in the surrounding out-patients clinics as required