Volunteering

We are looking for volunteers to support our new specialist stroke rehabilitation ward at Westbrook House, Margate.

The main part of the role involves talking to patients and providing companionship whilst our clinical staff undertake their tasks. The ward has only recently opened in June 2023 and so this is an exciting time to join the team as they change and develop the service.

All volunteers for KCHFT undertake training, and for this role the team will support you to learn more about stroke patients and their needs. If you are interested in this new role, get in touch now. Hours are flexible, seven days a week but we ask you commit to at least one shift per week.

• Find out more about Westbrook House.

The Postural Stability Team is looking for an enthusiastic local volunteer to help with their falls exercise classes in Deal.

Participants can be frail with a high risk of falling or be able to exercise on the floor, so they have all abilities attend these classes.

During the class the volunteer will help observe participants to be aware of any safety risks, like trip hazards, feeling unwell or needing support (the team would also be grateful for help setting the class up).

There will always be two trained postural stability leads in each class, one leading the class and the other observing but the second could be helping an individual, so a volunteer plays a key role supporting the group. Hours are weekly, Wednesday mornings from 9.15am to 12noon.

Every year, we carry out patient-led assessments of the care environment (PLACE) in our nine community hospitals. The assessments take place from September to November and we need the support of patients, carers, families and members of the public to act as patient assessors.

You will be assessing six areas in teams with other volunteers and staff:

• access to privacy for patients and respect for their dignity
• food and hydration
• cleanliness
• general building condition and appearance/maintenance
• support to people with dementia
• support to people with a disability.

Training will be provided in August ahead of the assessments. You can choose to assess one or more of our community hospitals. Lunch will be provided on the day and travel expenses will be reimbursed. To find out more or apply, please email kentchft.engagement@nhs.net.

At KCHFT we are committed to supporting people in our community to live well and we need your help to continue with our mission. The Patient safety partner is a new and evolving role developed by NHS England to help improve patient safety across the health care system in the UK.

Patient safety partners will work alongside our colleagues, patients and families to influence and improve safety within the trust and in the community. Experience of working in the NHS is not essential, just a genuine desire to support patient safety improvement. A training package and ongoing support will be provided by our Patient Safety Team.

If you are enthusiastic, forward thinking, can communicate openly and have the time to commit to the role, we are keen to hear from you.

The NIHR Public Research Champions is a national initiative that is hosted and led by individual NHS trusts for public volunteers to support and promote health and social care research. Members are expected to join the monthly group meetings but can choose which or how many activities to get involved in.

This includes reviewing participant materials such as information sheets and consent forms, attending and/or facilitating workshops and presentations as well as being an active part of research and evaluation projects including recruiting and interviewing participants.

We are recruiting for research champions in Tower Hamlets London, Dover and Folkestone until March 2023.

Please see our Research champion poster for details on how to get involved.

Do you have a therapy animal that you have registered with the national pets as therapy charity, or you think they have what it takes to make a good therapy animal?

Our organisation is registered with Pets as Therapy and we are always looking for individuals to come support our trust in our hospitals and at our services across Kent.

If you would like to learn more about registering you can visit Pets As Therapy.

To be a volunteer with our trust we do ask that you are registered with Pets as Therapy and with us as a volunteer. Please get in touch to see if we have a service you can volunteer with in the first instance.

Would you like the opportunity to help your local hospital in a special and unique way? The catering team at Hawkhurst, Kent has an exciting sustainability project where the service produces home grown fruit and vegetables. So far, the plot has produced tomatoes, strawberries, courgettes, lettuce, spring onion, potatoes, broad and runner beans. The garden not only provides produce for patient meals, but helps patients and colleagues mental and physical wellbeing too.

We are looking for individuals who would like to volunteer some of their time to make a difference and help this wonderful project. So, if you could spare some time each week, and you like the idea of getting involved with some gardening please get in touch with our voluntary services.

Our hospitals in west Kent require volunteer admin support particularly through the winter months. This can include answering the phone and door, photocopying, filing, organising stock and helping the ward clerks.

Sites where volunteers are needed include:

• Edenbridge and District War Memorial Hospital, Mill Hill, Edenbridge TN8 5DA
• Hawkhurst Community Hospital, High Street, Hawkhurst TN18 4PU
• Tonbridge Cottage Hospital, Vauxhall Lane, Marden, Tonbridge TN11 0NE.

If you would like more information on this opportunity or wish to apply please get in touch. The hours are flexible between 2-6 hours a week between Monday to Sunday, 8am to 4pm.

This is a flexible and exciting opportunity to support our staff in a non-clinical role across various areas of the service. One day you could be supporting on the wards playing board games with a patient and the next providing support with the discharge process.

In addition to the experience and rewarding role in a community hospital we also provide training on carers awareness. This role is there to support our patients and this includes our volunteers engaging with carers and family members too!

This is an exciting opportunity to support in our community hospitals with the benefit of NHS training and engagement. We have opportunities at the following sites: Deal, Westview (Tenterden), Whitstable, Sevenoaks, Herne Bay, Faversham, Hawkhurst and Edenbridge.

Please contact us if you want to learn more or apply.

Can you or someone you know spare some time to support our services with phone surveys? You will get the opportunity to chat with patients and gain valuable insight into their experiences within our trust. Our surveys impact greatly on how we make improvements to our services, and ultimately makes a significant positive impact on the lives of our patients. Those who are at the heart of what we do.

If you can spare a few hours a week and like the idea of undertaking phone surveys please get in touch. You will be given training and support from services and current volunteers.

The following services require a patient experience volunteer:
Community Rehabilitation Services, MSK Physiotherapy, Diabetes, Epilepsy and Lymphoedema.

Locations where this role is required include Herne Bay, Ashford, Folkestone, Sevenoaks and Deal.

Hours are anytime Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Do you have a couple of hours to spare a week to help adult clinical services? The team would like a volunteer to support with putting together packs that are vital to the patients. This role would also involve archiving and supporting with general admin support (in a voluntary capacity). Great for someone who wants NHS experience or would like to give something back and help out a fantastic team.

We are looking for help anytime Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm in Deal, Dover, Westcliffe or Hythe.