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VOLUNTEER GUIDE FOR THE MACMILLAN CENTRE
Thank you for expressing an interest in volunteering at Chelsea & Westminster’s Macmillan Centre.
Volunteer roles
The Centre is run by a small team of dedicated volunteers and we are always looking for new members of our team to help out in the Information Service and complementary therapies room. We therefore have 2 types of volunteer:
1. Information Service Volunteer
This role includes:
- General administration duties, telephone answering, filing etc
- Keeping the information resources tidy and up to date
- Providing guidance for patients and their families on where to gain more information (leaflets, organisations etc)
- Booking free complementary therapy sessions for patients and carers in our Therapy Centre.
- Providing a friendly, approachable welcome to all visitors.
NB We ask that all volunteers must be reliable and punctual and be able to commit to attend one morning or afternoon per week for at least a 6 month period.
This role does not include:
- Providing advice or counselling – we have medical professionals who are qualified to provide that service.
- Promoting their own religious or spiritual views – Chelsea & Westminster Hospital has a Multi-Faith Chaplaincy Service which is available for those of all or no faith.
- 2. Complementary Therapist
This role includes:
- Meeting with patients to agree a programme of therapies.
- Providing massage, aromatherapy or reflexology sessions for patients.
NB We ask that all volunteers must be reliable and punctual and be able to commit to attend one morning or afternoon per week for at least a 6 month period.
In addition, all our therapists must be professionally qualified and be able to provide evidence of their qualification / registration with a relevant professional body, plus professional insurance cover.
This role does not include:
- Providing advice or counselling – we have medical professionals who are qualified to provide that service.
- Promoting their own religious or spiritual views – Chelsea & Westminster Hospital has a Multi-Faith Chaplaincy Service which is available for those of all or no faith.
At this time we are unable to offer volunteer roles to therapists in the following specialities:
- Reiki
- Spiritual Healing
- Acupuncture
Please note we do not have volunteer roles for those who wish to counsel, advise or befriend cancer patients. The wider Hospital Volunteering programme does have Befriender roles, however we could not guarantee placement on a specific ward or with a specific patient group.
Although we welcome volunteers with experience of Cancer either personally or through a close friend / family member, it is our policy not to accept anyone as a volunteer until two years have passed since treatment has been completed or bereavement has occurred.
We hope that you will appreciate that our volunteers require a certain amount of emotional space in the aftermath of a traumatic experience and this policy has been designed with the best outcome for the emotional needs of both patients, staff and volunteers in mind. We would also urge former patients of this Trust to apply to volunteer elsewhere. This avoids any potential difficulties around working with clinical teams involved in your previous care.
If you meet the criteria as outlined above and are interested in applying for the role of a Macmillan Centre Volunteer please contact:
Libby Wingfield
Volunteer Services and Work Experience Manager
Room J.L.14
Lower Ground Floor, via Lift Bank D
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
369 Fulham Road
London SW10 9NH
volunteering@chelwest.nhs.uk
Tel: 020 3315 6864
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