Activity Support Volunteer

Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust recognise and value the importance volunteer support is to us and our patients. We currently have a volunteer role available supporting us at The Orchard in Lancaster., Our ability to provide a comprehensive and individually targeted programme of activities and non-clinical support for our in-patients can be enhanced by volunteers. This is evidenced through self-governance evaluations and client feedback, Volunteers can assist the Occupational Therapy Team in providing therapeutic activities to in-patients under supervision.

• To provide specific (e.g. facilitation of music lessons) or general (e.g. available to take clients for walks, befriending) non - clinical support to in-patient clients on and off the Orchard Unit, Lancaster depending on skills and qualities of individual volunteer.


• All on ward activities will be pre-arranged and monitored by staff in line with client need on a daily or weekly basis. Level of supervision to be defined by ward staff in line with client need and volunteer experience. All activities will require a predetermined level of staff supervision.


• Off ward activities will be for in-patient clients with their own leave only, but who have requested informal support from a volunteer. In these instances a volunteer will have already established a relationship with the client on the unit.


• Volunteers to attend unit at pre-arranged times and report to reception where an appointed supervisory member of the OT team will meet them.


• All activities to be risk assessed by appropriate ward staff.

Applicants must over 18 years old.
An Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check is required for this role. There is no cost to a volunteer for a DBS check.

Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve.
As an integrated Mental Health, Learning Disability and Community Trust, Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including:
+ Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, forensic services including low and medium secure care.
+ Specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
+ Community physical health and well-being services for children and adults.
The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,000 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health and general nurses, allied health professionals, Psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers.
Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust supports flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, home/remote working, and flexi-time.
For more information about Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.

Please note that further communication from Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT) will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCFT to contact them.
Please ensure that you read the Person Specification attached below as your application will be measured against this document. Applications from job share partners are welcome and other forms of flexible working will be considered for all posts.
For all posts which require a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check please be aware of the Disclosure & Barring Service Code of Practice, a copy of which is available by logging on to the DBS website. If the post is subject to DBS disclosure, a charge will be made to the successful candidate(s).
You are advised to consider applying for LSCFT vacancies as soon as possible as in some instances vacancies are closed as soon as a sufficient number of applications have been received. If you are not invited to interview within three weeks of the closing date then please assume that on this occasion you have been unsuccessful, as it is not possible to contact all unsuccessful candidates.
Lancashire & South Cumbria Care is committed to celebrating difference as an asset and we know that recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds helps to create a more flexible, creative and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from people regardless of age, disability (especially those with experience of accessing mental health, or Learning Disability Services or caring for someone who has accessed mental health services or Learning Disability Services), ethnicity, gender, religion or belief or sexual orientation. Our goal is for the Trust to be truly representative of the communities we serve so we are particularly keen to receive applications from people in under-represented groups. The organisation is proud to be listed as one of the Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers and our HR department holds the Lancashire LGBT Quality Mark. If there is anything you'd like to discuss in relation to your application
then please ask.