We currently have over 170 volunteers providing a variety of services in the Hospital. The team is constantly expanding as we develop more services.
This page contains outlines of some of those services. More details can be found by downloading our Application Pack.
Service Co-ordinators provide training as required as well as managing the rotas and liaising with the hospital management team.
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Bingo Volunteers run bingo sessions in order to entertain patients while they are undergoing treatment in the Ash Dialysis Unit |
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Holding Hands in Theatre When a patient is having a cataract operation under local anaesthetic it is essential that they do not move as this could have a severe impact on a very delicate procedure. So if the patient feels the need to sneeze, cough or say something he or she can squeeze the hand of a volunteer who will tell the team to stop the procedure safely. Many of the volunteers who provide this service have also had cataract operations and so can give some personal assurance to the patient throughout their visit to the hospital. |
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Meet and Greet Patients and visitors come to the hospital from all over Coventry and Warwickshire, as well as Rugby, and often need help to find their way to the ward or department where they have an appointment to attend or friends and relatives they would like to visit. Volunteers are based at the entrances to Out Patients, the Day Surgery Unit, X-Ray department and can escort people to the place they are looking for. A friendly face helps ease tensions for many who are anxious when they arrive and may be disoriented by the layout of the site! |
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Tea Bar Patients waiting for their appointments in Out Patients can enjoy a cuppa and a snack at the Friends Tea Bar. Profits from this service contribute to the operating costs of the charity. |
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Ward Admin Volunteers assist the Ward Clerks by answering the phones, filing records and a variety of other clerical tasks |
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Ward Trolley Service Volunteers operate a service selling drinks, confectionery, newspapers and other items to patients and staff on the wards. Profits from this service contribute to the operating costs of the charity. |
Volunteers are also needed for a variety of other services including:-
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There are many ways in which volunteers can help with the running of the charity.
We have a number of teams and committees which are described in this section of our site - if you would like more information about these please contact the Secretary or Chairperson who can tell you more or put you in contact you with the relevant member of the charity.
TRUSTEE BOARD:
The Trustee Board usually meets in the Boardroom at St Cross on the second Monday of the month between 2 p.m. and 4.30pm.
All Trustee Board members are Trustees of the charity and are requested to take on a specific role.
The Trustee Board sets our policies and considers all requests for equipment made by staff at St. Cross and the local Community and Mental Health Teams along with other matters on an ongoing basis.
Click this link to see who the current members of the Board are.
If you are interested in joining the Trustee Board or one of our sub-committees please
FUND RAISING TEAM:
We have a small team that organises various social events throughout the year.
As you can tell from the photo they like to have fun!
They would love to hear from anyone who can offer their time to become involved.
In 2015 the programme included
- A visit to Rugby Theatre to see Hairspray
- Diamond Jubilee Black Tie Dinner and Dance
- Christmas Concert featuring the Warwick Diatonic Choir
The programme for 2015 is designed to attract a wide range of supporters - from flower arranging to a dinner dance and a day trip to the Black Country Museum!
Details will be published on the Fundraising Events page when they are available.
We would love to hear about other events that supporters have organised themselves or suggestions for us to organise!
GOVERNANCE REVIEW TEAM
A team of senior members of the Trustee Board meet at least twice a year to review the various documents which set out the Constitution, Governance documents and Policies which set out how the Charity functions. They review changes in legislation, regulation and recommended practice to sure that the Charity remains in step with these.
The Constitution can only be changed with the Approval of either the Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting.
Policies may be recommended or updated by appropriate Sub-Committees and are approved by the Trustee Board.
The Governance Review Team, together with the other Trustees, maintain oversight of operations so that the Board is assured that members of the Charity adhere to the provisions of the Governance arrangements.
COMMUNICATIONS SUB-COMMITTEE
This group reviews the Communications Strategy and Policies and has delegated authority for a small marketing / advertising budget which is used to maintain the profile of the Charity in the community. Any Member with relevant skills and experience is welcome to contribute to the work of this Sub-Committee which is chaired by a Trustee. If you are interested please
THE COLLECTIONS TEAM:
A member of the Trustee Board organises both the house-to-house collections and fund raising collections within the local community and at local venues throughout the town.
Volunteers once recruited are allocated an area to cover within the town or local villages and are called on from time to time to take part in collections in various stores around the town.
FUNDRAISING CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE
There are a great number of fundraising activities during the year. The Fundraising Co-ordination Committee plans a calendar of fundraising activities during the year and supports both the Fundraising Team and Collectors mentioned above as well as other events such as the Rotary Spring Fair and Rugby Festival of Culture. Details are published on the Forthcoming Events page as they are confirmed.
We are always happy to support the more energetic who are prepared to undertake sponsored activities like running for the Friends in 10km, half marathons and marathons or even abseil down buildings or sky diving - details of these opportunities are on the Sponsorship Opportunities page.
If you would like to volunteer to assist at one of our events or would like some support for an event you are planning then please get in touch by email to
SUB COMMITTEE WORK:
To aid the work of the Trustee Board there is often a need to form a Sub Committee of Board members and other volunteers to discuss and organise specific events.
Meetings are arranged as necessary, notes taken and a report given to the Trustee Board at the next available meeting.
PHOTOGRAPHERS:
We like to take photos of fund raising events and any equipment we purchase or projects we undertake.
These are distributed to the local media, the In Touch magazine that is sent to all staff working at the University Coventry & Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust and our twice-yearly newsletter, which is sent to all volunteers and displayed on this and other web sites and our Facebook page.
Many of the photos on the website have been taken by members of Dunchurch Photographic Society other volunteer photographers are welcome to join the team.
New volunteers are always welcome to provide services in the hospital as well as working behind the scenes of the charity. An overview of current services is included in this Application Pack which can be downloaded and completed using MS Word.
A list of current vacancies is included in the full article.
This page contains an overview and more detailed description of the different roles that volunteers undertake at The Hospital of St Cross
What we look for in a volunteer
- Friendly and approachable
- Caring and good listeners
- Comfortable approaching people to offer help
- Able to work independently and use initiative after initial training period
- Emotionally mature and able to stay calm in difficult situations
- Adaptable
What can you expect from us?
You will receive appropriate training and be fully supported by the team of Service Co-ordinators and the Board of trustees.
Volunteers are provided with uniforms. Examples are shown in some of the photos on the following pages.
At the 2022 AGM we celebrated over 500 years of service when a group of volunteers received long service awards having completed more than 10 years of service.
Subcategories
Volunteer profiles
Stories about volunteers