Volunteer Neighbourhood Responder Role

Are you interested in a career with the NHS or in care but don’t know where to start?

Location: North Sedgemoor

The Volunteer to Career Programme was created by Health Education England to offer volunteering opportunities to people who are considering a career in health and care. There are many career choices across health and care, and this opportunity allows exposure to both well-known and lesser-known roles within our health and care system and provides you with experience of supporting people through volunteering roles, before deciding about your future career path. It provides an opportunity to build variety, contact with people, and learning and development into your day, helping others to help themselves to be the best they can be. We are looking for volunteers who enjoy being with people, show kindness and positivity, understanding and empathy, and are good listeners.

As a Volunteer Neighbourhood Responder, you will gain experience of the work of our Neighbourhood Teams that spans health and social care, including District Nursing, Community Rehabilitation Team, Older Persons Mental Health Team, Village Agents, and GP Practices. You will be supported throughout your volunteering journey by Somerset Integrated Care System’s Talent Hub who will provide you with career coaching once you have decided which career route you would like to follow (there are no hard and fast rules, however we suggest volunteering for at least a month before accessing career coaching, although some people will know before this time which career route they would like to take).

Volunteer Neighbourhood Responder Role

A selection of some of the Volunteer Neighbourhood Responder (VNR) duties are listed below. We will ask you to choose in which of these areas you would like to volunteer, making it personalised to you, your skills, and your aspirations.

• Meet and greet and signposting
• Office admin support
• Befriending
• Collecting shopping/ medication
• Welfare check (face to face/phone/virtual)
• Dementia buddy
• Group support
• Supporting attendance at groups
• Digital support
• Appointment reminder (telephone or face to face)
• Appointment support (to help navigate information)
• Falls prevention support
• Health and wellbeing check-in
• Discharge wellbeing check

Our focus is on excellent customer experience, assisting the population of North Sedgemoor through their health and care journey, to lead independent healthy lives in their community, supporting people in a personalised “what matters to you?” way through Somerset NHS Foundation Trust values. As a Volunteer Neighbourhood Responder, you will not give clinical advice, but will signpost people to the appropriate health and care professionals.

All volunteer shifts will be set up via the Community Connect Portal, and you will be asked to provide dates and times for the shifts you would like to do.

You are expected to perform your role to the best of your ability and to follow the procedures and standards, including health and safety, infection prevention and control and equal opportunities in place with the Lead Provider, and any other procedures operated by the Neighbourhood Teams to which you are deployed as are notified to you as part of your orientation with the North Sedgemoor Neighbourhood Teams.

We will provide location-specific orientation for each local site at which you volunteer, and your volunteering journey will be supported by the Talent Hub.