Volunteering

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Student volunteering
Work experience
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We are always looking for volunteers to help us support staff, patients and visitors in our hospitals.

Becoming a volunteer can be very rewarding - even a few hours a week can be really valuable to our hospitals and patients.

Volunteering is open to anyone who is aged 16 and over and is subject to meeting the requirements of the NHS Employment Check Standards.

The League of Friends, Sir Michael Sobell House Hospice and volunteer radio stations such as Radio Cherwell are also very happy to receive applications.

Sir Michael Sobell House Hospice: SobellHouse@ouh.nhs.uk

Radio Cherwell: studio@radiocherwell.com

What does a hospital volunteer do?

Volunteers work in all our hospitals and make all the difference to our patients during their stay; they are also enormously helpful to our staff and a valuable part of the hospital team.

Working as a hospital volunteer can help you learn important new skills, find out about healthcare, meet new people and contribute to your local community.

Hospital volunteers help with activities such as:

staffing help desks and greeting patients and visitors
visiting patients on wards and assisting them with meals and menus
serving in cafeterias and tea bars
supporting staff in non-clinical areas
hospital radio
working with the Chaplaincy team
fundraising
working with library trolleys.

We regret that, at present, we are unable to offer any volunteering opportunities with children.

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Student volunteering on the wards

We welcome applications from students aged 16 - 21 who would like to volunteer at the end of the school/college day.

How to become a volunteer

Contact the office at the John Radcliffe Hospital or Horton General Hospital. They will provide you with an application form to fill in. You will then be invited to come to the hospital and discuss the opportunities that are available.

Before you can become a volunteer you will need to be health screened, and references will be checked. If you will be working on the wards a criminal record check (CRB) will be needed.

Unfortunately, we can only offer volunteering opportunities for people living in Oxfordshire or within easy commuting distance of our hospitals, as we cannot arrange accommodation.