Job summary
- Main area
- Volunteer
- Grade
- VOLUNTARY
- Contract
- Voluntary
- Hours
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 277-6409796-VOL
- Employer
- Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Memorial Hospital
- Town
- woolwich
- Salary
- £0 Voluntary
- Closing
- 08/07/2024 23:59
Employer heading
PAT Dog Volunteer
VOLUNTARY
Job overview
Voluntary Post
PAT DOG Volunteer
This is an exciting opportunity to be working alongside staff and patients on a ward providing a Pets as Therapy service, in an effort to bring comfort and companionship to patients, staff and family members. Animal-assisted therapy offers huge potential to the healthcare profession in a range of disciplines and, in the UK at least, is greatly under-utilised.
Main duties of the job
Key Task and Responsibilities:
To motivate patients
Support the therapy team
Offer Comfort (dog)
Working for our organisation
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.
We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
· We’re Kind
· We’re Fair
· We Listen
· We Care
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- Should have good communication skills and of a polite and friendly nature
- Be willing to participate in monthly personal supervision
- To comply with Trust policies regarding confidentiality at all times
- Able to commit to regular hours of work
In addition, all potential PAT dogs and cats must undertake a standard temperament assessment, which is carried out by one of the Charity’s trained assessors. Pets As Therapy only registers vaccinated, healthy and disease-free dogs and cats with a sound temperament appropriate for visiting.
Attend support and supervision sessions (a minimum of 1 session every 3 months)
Able to commit to regular hours of volunteering and must be able to volunteer for a minimum of a 6 month period
Must be available to attend training as required for the placement and or personal development
You will be reimbursed for travel within the boroughs of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich ( must provide original receipts if using public transport) and you can also claim for lunch or other subsistence costs ( maximum of £5/day) if your volunteering exceeds 4 hours in a day( please refer to volunteers policy for further details).
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Applicant must have past PAT dog training and certification process
Skills
Essential criteria
- Applicant and dog must be patient and take into account the needs of the clients
Communications
Essential criteria
- Excellent communication skills required.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Paul Buckingham
- Job title
- Voluntary Services Co-ordinator
- Email address
- [email protected]
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