Charity Assistant - Volunteering Team

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Based at the L&D, this is an exciting opportunity to work with our Voluntary Services Teams across both sites.

We are looking for a highly motivated, enthusiastic and experienced administrator to assist with volunteer recruitment within the Voluntary Services Functions and to help improve efficiency across the team and increase the support we provide Trust wide. Knowledge and experience in customer care is therefore essential.

Voluntary Services is part of the Trust's Charity and is responsible for an amazing team of volunteers who enhance the patient experience, support staff across the Trust and add another dimension to patient care. You will also be required to provide admin support to the Fundraising team as needed and support with functions across the Trust.

This post is part time, 25 hours per week.

For more information, please contact Deborah Allman, Community Engagement and Voluntary Services Manager on 01582 497357.

Main duties of the job

Assisting the Voluntary Services team in the recruitment and support of volunteers across both sites, you will ensure that all admin functions relating to the volunteer service are effectively undertaken and managed. Our relationships with our volunteers and our donors are important to us. You will be expected to be a friendly face to uphold and enhance this within your work here. You will support the team to introduce new volunteer programmes, actively promote and support us in seeking and recruiting volunteers from our diverse communities and establish links with some of the harder to reach communities. You will also be required to provide efficient admin support to the Charity Team across both sites to ensure further developing a quality service designed to enhance the patient experience, actively promoting the Charity.

About us

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region, you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trust's core values. We achieve this by using values-based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when a sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering the first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.

Job responsibilities

The Hospitals Charity supports the work of the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital and Bedford Hospital - you will be working as part of a growing team across both sites. Whether people donate financially or donate their time as a volunteer, everything we do makes a difference and helps to enhance and support the experience of our patients and staff.

JOB SUMMARY: To assist the Voluntary Services team in the recruitment and support of volunteers across both sites ensuring that all admin functions relating to the volunteer service are effectively undertaken and managed. To provide efficient admin support to the Charity Teams across both sites to ensure further developing a quality service designed to enhance the patient experience. This may include Work Experience as required. To support the team to introduce new volunteer programmes, actively promote and support us in seeking and recruiting volunteers from our diverse communities and establishing links with some of the harder to reach communities. To actively promote the Charity. Our relationships with our volunteers and our donors are important to us. You will be expected to be a friendly face to uphold and enhance this within your work here.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Monitor the Voluntary Services inboxes and respond to volunteering enquiries (email and telephone) promptly and efficiently.
2. Arrange volunteer interviews in a timely manner.
3. Support the volunteer recruitment process (to include taking up references, arranging DBS and health screening checks) adhering to Trust and departmental policies and procedures.
4. Ensure that all volunteers have completed the volunteering recruitment process (to include training) before commencing their volunteering and start within an appropriate timescale.
5. Ensure that the volunteer database is kept up to date and all information is stored accurately and securely.
6. Assist with the co-ordination of external organisations who wish to come in to the Trust to donate time, effort or gifts as part of their own employee-volunteering project.
7. Support work experience application processing as required.
8. Assist with arrangements of functions/events.
9. Process orders and requisitions, in line with training given and manage the receipt of deliveries when they come into the department.
10. Ensure information on notice boards is up to date and current.
11. Answer the phones for all incoming calls, passing information on in an appropriate manner.
12. Cover other office functions as needed, including post and cash handling.
13. Accept donations, monetary and gifts.
14. Support at internal and external events where applicable.
15. Understand the organisation and its agreed systems and working procedures (e.g. Charity and Voluntary Services Functions and roles within the team).
16. Ensure a positive and proactive working relationship with team members at all times, as well as within the broader Hospital environment.
17. Keep track of assigned projects and tasks to ensure that support is optimised.
18. Whilst L&D based, be available to work at the Bedford site if required.

Other:

1. Highest standard of honesty and personal integrity at all times.
2. Attend team meetings and other cross-departmental meetings.
3. Promote development activities to Hospital staff at all levels and foster positive working relationships across the organisation.
4. Ensure that all written communication and materials produced comply with corporate design standards and appropriate legislation (e.g. style guides, document templates, legal wordings, etc).
5. Undertake any other duties as may be reasonably requested by more senior staff and senior representatives from other functions within the organisation.
6. Must be presentable and professionally dressed, i.e. compliant with the Trust's Dress, Appearance and Uniform Code.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Level 6 - 9 in Numeracy, Literacy/English Language or Equivalent.
• European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL).

Experience

• Evidenced experience of dealing face to face with people from a different range of backgrounds.
• Evidence of experience of working in administration/office support.
• Ability to use the internet, appropriate databases and other research sources.
• Peer Management Skills: know how to get the best out of people who may have multiple objectives and tasks that may be different from your own.

Knowledge and Skills

• Fully trained in and with good skill levels in use of all Microsoft Office applications - able to use the internet, email, a PC desktop environment and manage document preparation.
• Knowledge of a range of administrative procedures.
• Trained in use of and reporting from an Access database or another organisational specific database.
• Knowledge/use of the Harlequin database.

Personal Skills

• Understanding of the need for confidentiality awareness at all times.
• Possess high emotional intelligence and exceptional interpersonal skills.
• Ability to prioritise own workload.
• Self-aware - know gaps in your own knowledge and not be afraid to ask for assistance.
• Able to concentrate in a busy open office environment and not easily distracted.
• Able to work independently or as part of a wider team.
• Attention to detail as well as accurate record keeping and able to follow up on assigned tasks.

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.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Community Engagement & Voluntary Services Manager