University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Voluntary Services Engagement Facilitator

Information:

This job is now closed

Job summary

Our vision as an organisation is to be an outstanding place to volunteer and to help us with this journey we are recruiting for a Voluntary Services Engagement Facilitator. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who is keen to innovate and make a mark in our organisational journey towards outstanding.

You will work within a small team to support the recruitment of volunteers and assist with the co-ordination of Voluntary Services at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.

You will contribute to the delivery and development of volunteer service improvements to improve the experience of patients, support our staff and reduce pressure on our services.

This is an exciting time for the volunteering team and we are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated individual with a drive to help us deliver results.

For more information or an informal discussion about the role, please contact:

Danielle Faulkner, Voluntary Services Manager on 01752 437465 ord.faulkner2@nhs.net

Main duties of the job

The post holder will report to the Voluntary Services Coordinator and will work as part of the Voluntary Services team, working autonomously with minimum levels of daily supervision.

The post holder will work closely with key stakeholders, including the Patient Experience and Engagement Lead, Patient Services Manager, Voluntary Services Manager, Discharge Lounge, Pharmacy, matrons and ward managers etc, wards and departments to ensure the efficient and effective recruitment of volunteers and supporting the running of the service.

The post holder will engage with and support UHP's c. 350 volunteers.

This post is part time (17.5 hours a week) and requires weekend (Saturday) working.

***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as 'Priority' and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***

About us

We are a people business - where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment team on 01752 432100. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Details

Date posted

31 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year Per Annum Pro Rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

216-AH-A7303480

Job locations

Derriford Hospital

Derriford Road

Plymouth

PL6 8DH


Job description

Job responsibilities

PRIMARY DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

  1. Recruit volunteers in line with the Trusts recruitment policies and processes, providing assurance to the Voluntary Services Coordinator, to include:

a. Selection meetings (face to face and virtual)

b. Occupational health checks

c. Reference checks

d. ID checks

e. DBS checks

f. Induction and training (face to face/virtual/handout)

2. Supervise the volunteer placements, liaising with staff as appropriate and in line with policy and process, and maintain good working relationships with the volunteers.

3. Support the Voluntary Services Administrator to ensure relevant training and induction for volunteers is undertaken, recorded and kept up to date within agreed timescales.

4. Provide manual handling training to those volunteers who are required to push patients in wheelchairs, as well as any other training within the remit of the role, including dementia awareness.

5. Ensure that new roles meet the needs of UHP staff, volunteers, and patients.

6. Monitor the suitability of both established and new volunteer roles in liaison with key staff and ensure that all roles remain fit for purpose through a regular system of monitoring, evaluation and review, providing assurance to the Voluntary Services Manager.

7. Work with the Voluntary Services Coordinator to develop existing volunteer capacity, e.g., increase the number of volunteering hours, offer existing volunteers opportunities in new roles and regular review of existing roles to updates tasks included.

8. Work closely and collaboratively with the Volunteer Services team and wider Patient Services team.

9. Ensure effective promotion of new roles to recruit new volunteers to ensure that the capacity for volunteering support at UHP is sustainable.

Job description

Job responsibilities

PRIMARY DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

  1. Recruit volunteers in line with the Trusts recruitment policies and processes, providing assurance to the Voluntary Services Coordinator, to include:

a. Selection meetings (face to face and virtual)

b. Occupational health checks

c. Reference checks

d. ID checks

e. DBS checks

f. Induction and training (face to face/virtual/handout)

2. Supervise the volunteer placements, liaising with staff as appropriate and in line with policy and process, and maintain good working relationships with the volunteers.

3. Support the Voluntary Services Administrator to ensure relevant training and induction for volunteers is undertaken, recorded and kept up to date within agreed timescales.

4. Provide manual handling training to those volunteers who are required to push patients in wheelchairs, as well as any other training within the remit of the role, including dementia awareness.

5. Ensure that new roles meet the needs of UHP staff, volunteers, and patients.

6. Monitor the suitability of both established and new volunteer roles in liaison with key staff and ensure that all roles remain fit for purpose through a regular system of monitoring, evaluation and review, providing assurance to the Voluntary Services Manager.

7. Work with the Voluntary Services Coordinator to develop existing volunteer capacity, e.g., increase the number of volunteering hours, offer existing volunteers opportunities in new roles and regular review of existing roles to updates tasks included.

8. Work closely and collaboratively with the Volunteer Services team and wider Patient Services team.

9. Ensure effective promotion of new roles to recruit new volunteers to ensure that the capacity for volunteering support at UHP is sustainable.

Person Specification

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

  • Demonstrable experience of recruiting and/or working with volunteers
  • Proven evidence of demonstrable experience of effective team working
  • Demonstrable experience or proven knowledge of using databases to record information
  • Demonstrable experience of supporting projects
  • Demonstrable experience of using Microsoft Office packages

Desirable

  • Demonstrable experience working within a healthcare setting
  • Demonstrable experience and success in service improvement
  • Demonstrable experience of volunteer software management i.e. Assemble
  • Demonstrable experience of recruitment and DBS processes
  • Demonstrable experience of events organisation

Qualifications

Essential

  • GCSE grade 4/C or above including English and Maths or equivalent standard/ equivalent demonstrable experience.
  • NVQ Level 3 in business and administration or equivalent demonstrable experience.

Desirable

  • Further qualification in administration or equivalent

Aptitude & Abilities

Essential

  • Ability to build relationships and work effectively with a range of stakeholders
  • Strong interpersonal skills, with proven knowledge and understanding of professional / personal boundaries, confidentiality, and safeguarding procedures
  • Ability to communicate well with a wide ranging audience including volunteers, frontline staff, service managers and patients
  • Able to prioritise a range of tasks
  • Ability to work on own initiative without direct supervision with excellent organisational skills
  • Methodical & organised

Disposition, Aptitude & Motivation

Essential

  • oExperience of being able to respond effectively when working under pressure
  • oResourceful, imaginative, enthusiastic, and adaptable
  • oPossesses a friendly, positive, can-do attitude
  • oAbility to work using own initiative
  • oBe able to prioritise workload and possess effective time management skills
  • oAble to deal with information in a confidential manner and respond sensitively to the opinion of others
  • oEffective and supportive team member

Other Factors

Essential

  • oWeekend working (Sundays) is required in this post
  • oAble to work flexibly
  • oDemonstrable ability to meet Trust values
Person Specification

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

  • Demonstrable experience of recruiting and/or working with volunteers
  • Proven evidence of demonstrable experience of effective team working
  • Demonstrable experience or proven knowledge of using databases to record information
  • Demonstrable experience of supporting projects
  • Demonstrable experience of using Microsoft Office packages

Desirable

  • Demonstrable experience working within a healthcare setting
  • Demonstrable experience and success in service improvement
  • Demonstrable experience of volunteer software management i.e. Assemble
  • Demonstrable experience of recruitment and DBS processes
  • Demonstrable experience of events organisation

Qualifications

Essential

  • GCSE grade 4/C or above including English and Maths or equivalent standard/ equivalent demonstrable experience.
  • NVQ Level 3 in business and administration or equivalent demonstrable experience.

Desirable

  • Further qualification in administration or equivalent

Aptitude & Abilities

Essential

  • Ability to build relationships and work effectively with a range of stakeholders
  • Strong interpersonal skills, with proven knowledge and understanding of professional / personal boundaries, confidentiality, and safeguarding procedures
  • Ability to communicate well with a wide ranging audience including volunteers, frontline staff, service managers and patients
  • Able to prioritise a range of tasks
  • Ability to work on own initiative without direct supervision with excellent organisational skills
  • Methodical & organised

Disposition, Aptitude & Motivation

Essential

  • oExperience of being able to respond effectively when working under pressure
  • oResourceful, imaginative, enthusiastic, and adaptable
  • oPossesses a friendly, positive, can-do attitude
  • oAbility to work using own initiative
  • oBe able to prioritise workload and possess effective time management skills
  • oAble to deal with information in a confidential manner and respond sensitively to the opinion of others
  • oEffective and supportive team member

Other Factors

Essential

  • oWeekend working (Sundays) is required in this post
  • oAble to work flexibly
  • oDemonstrable ability to meet Trust values

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Address

Derriford Hospital

Derriford Road

Plymouth

PL6 8DH


Employer's website

https://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Address

Derriford Hospital

Derriford Road

Plymouth

PL6 8DH


Employer's website

https://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Voluntary Services Manager

Danielle Faulkner

d.faulkner2@nhs.net

01752437465

Details

Date posted

31 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year Per Annum Pro Rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

216-AH-A7303480

Job locations

Derriford Hospital

Derriford Road

Plymouth

PL6 8DH


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)