Role - Home Support Volunteer

Managed by:   Prospect@Home Team Leader

Accountable to:    Head of Voluntary Services

Role Purpose

To enhance the work of Prospect Hospice professionals by supporting patients and carers in their own homes – helping them to cope better and with more confidence. A minimum of one visit per week would be most beneficial.

The following will not be included in the volunteer role:
• Undertaking any medical care, such as administering drugs or changing dressings.
• Attending to patient’s personal hygiene requirements.
• Carrying out domestic chores, unless previously agreed with the Prospect@Home Team Leader.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities
You could be asked to do, or help with any of the following:

• To visit patients/carers at home as agreed with the Prospect@Home Team Leader. (For home visits, volunteers will be selected, where possible, according to the special needs, interests and location of the patient or carer).
• To contact the patient/carer, usually by telephone, to arrange a time for the visit, and telephone. the evening before any visit, to ensure that it is still convenient
• To encourage socially isolated patients/carers, who may be nervous of taking the first steps to attend local activities or groups or to go shopping.
•  To accompany patients to planned appointments or activities.
• To assist patients or carers with practical tasks around the house or garden.
• To provide companionship and a listening ear.
• To keep written records of all home visits and activities attended in a clear and concise way.
• To maintain confidentiality in all written and verbal communication.
• To understand and remain within the boundaries of your volunteer role.
• To adhere to Prospect Hospice lone working guidelines and out of hours procedures for your own safety.
• To telephone the Prospect@Home Team Leader after every visit for a ‘post visit de-brief’ and to report anything significant (eg: concerns about deteriorating condition or patients’ worries).
• To attend Support and Information meetings for volunteers, held every other month to exchange information and discuss any issues and contribute to the development of the service.
• To attend individual meetings with the Prospect@Home Team Leader as appropriate.
• To keep a record of any expenses you have incurred and submit them promptly at the end of each month to the Prospect@Home Team Leader.
• To support the collection of high quality monitoring data via (for example) telephone surveys to patients/carers.

General Duties

• To complete mandatory training requirements and relevant courses to ensure you keep up to date with organisational and legal regulation changes.
• To be aware of the legal responsibility placed on all volunteers by the statutory fire, health and safety regulations – know what you have to do should an emergency situation occur.
• To promote understanding and support of the values and philosophies of the organisation.
• To inform the Prospect@Home Team Leader of absences in advance.

The Prospect@Home Team Leader will keep you up to date with any relevant changes in the patient’s condition, in particular, the prompt reporting of a patient’s death.

Your involvement with the patient and family will be reviewed and end with the mutual agreement of the patient, carer, you and the Prospect@Home Team Leader.