As a volunteer, you will be expected to work 5 days a week (Monday - Friday) in the hospital. Exact hours are under regular review with the hospital. Your work will typically consist of the following: Work with detained patients in the club room Typical club activities have included dancing, needlework, arts and crafts, low key sporting activity and beauty-care, however we appreciate that each volunteer will bring with them a unique set of skills, knowledge and ideas and talents and may wish to try new activities which incorporate these. Each session lasts for around 1 hour. Patients are grouped together according to how well they can interact together and the types of activities they enjoy. Sometimes, Volunteers will be required to help less able patients with personal care so they can get the most from their time in club. Volunteers are expected to work to engage with each patient to allow them to get the most of their visit to the club, and to encourage and promote patient choice.  Drop in sessions in the club-room Individual work  | Ward Visits Volunteers are encouraged to visit the locked wards on a regular basis. This allows volunteers to continue to build rapport with patients outside of club-sessions and to support staff in developing and maintaining a therapeutic and comfortable environment on the wards. Volunteers can observe and interact with patients who have been unable to attend club in order to monitor their condition and highlight any concerns to hospital staff. Working on the wards At times, when it has been identified that a particular patient has specific needs, volunteers have been able to negotiate with hospital staff in order to work with them individually on the wards In the past this has included volunteers developing and working on a walking programme with a patient who had become bed-bound following an accident, and taking activities to bed-bound patients in order to improve their mood and quality of life.  Meetings with the Staff Each week, a meeting is held between the volunteers and the head-nurses of the male and female sections of the hospital with the aid of an interpreter. The weekly meeting allows volunteers and staff to discuss any issues that arise during the week and to negotiate future work. Cleaning Before each session, volunteers are required to ensure the club room is tidy and welcoming. Volunteers need to ensure all potentially dangerous equipment is accounted for. Time is allocated at the end of the day to ensure the club-room is in order. Paperwork This constitutes a very minimal part of the volunteer's role. Volunteers are requested to keep a brief log of who attended club sessions, their interaction with each other and how they responded to different activities in order that subsequent sessions can be planned with this in mind and this information can be passed to the next team. Communication with the charity Volunteers will receive regular phone calls from a charity representative in Britain at a mutually convenient time to allow them to share information. Volunteers are requested to keep the charity up to date with progress and challenges in the hospital The charity representative will be a previous volunteer and will be able to offer practical advice and emotional support to the volunteer. |
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Role of the Volunteer |