Telephone:
01983 822099 ext. 6411
Email:
Iownt.volunteer@nhs.net
Address:
Voluntary Services
Isle of Wight NHS Trust
St Mary’s Hospital
Parkhurst
Newport
Isle of Wight
PO30 5TG
Could you help to improve the experience of our patients?
Our Voluntary Service is fortunate to have a wonderful team of caring, compassionate, and dedicated volunteers that selflessly offer their time to support our various services throughout the Trust. Their diverse backgrounds and personal experiences mean that they all bring their own set of skills and array of knowledge which we are all very grateful for.
We are currently accepting applications for the below volunteering opportunities.
Become a Volunteer
Due to high interest, our recruitment window for new volunteers is closed. Please check back for any updates.
Our next recruitment window will be open in October 2025.
Any expression of interests sent in after a recruitment window is closed will be rolled over into the next recruitment window when it opens.
As a Trust, we place volunteers based on the needs of the hospital. If you are looking for a specific role/department that does not fit into our current vacancies, then we unfortunately may not be able to help.
Our volunteers regularly go above and beyond, giving up their valuable time to provide support in a huge variety of roles across our hospital. The types of voluntary roles we have are below:
- Ward Helper
- Administrator
- Meet and Greet
- Friends and Family Test
- PAT (Pets as Therapy)
- Chaplaincy volunteer
- Portering
- Patient Council member
- General Assistant
- CFR (Community First Responder)
- VACS (Volunteer Ambulance Car Service)
- ASGV (Ambulance Service General Volunteer)
Volunteering requires commitment, both of energy and time. Our volunteers are unpaid – apart from travel expenses – so why do it? There are many reasons, including:
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Job satisfaction
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The chance to gain experience and develop new skill
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Social contact and activity
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The opportunity to help other people
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A rewarding and fun experience
Depending on the area they work, our volunteers undertake a wide variety of activities including talking to patients, making teas and coffees, helping to make beds, signposting to services and escorting people around the hospital. By doing that little extra, volunteers can brighten a patients day.
No, you don’t usually need any special skills to be a volunteer at St Mary’s hospital. We provide all volunteers with general training and you will also be given specialised training relevant to your role, if needed. Our volunteers are made up of a diverse range of people and it is more important that they have qualities such as friendliness, a sense of humour, reliability and a genuine wish and willingness to help.
Each volunteer decides how much time they are able to offer. Some people come in for 3 hours a week, others volunteer for 1 to 2 days a week. Normally volunteers will undertake one session of 3-4 hours a week.
We do ask that volunteers commit to a minimum of 6 months so it is important to think carefully about whether volunteering will fit into your life on a regular basis.
We welcome volunteers from the age of 16 and there is no upper age limit.
What volunteers say...
'Everyday is different – funny, sad, demanding, challenging – but never dull’
‘Volunteering really spices up my life. I would recommend every one of my friends to join in because it is such a great opportunity.’
