Volunteer – make the difference and feel the difference

The NHS in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland has lots of opportunities for people to volunteer to join a patient group and make a real difference to the way local healthcare services are arranged and provided.

There are many groups and organisations that you can be part of and by giving up a bit of your spare time you could improve mental and physical health services in GP practices, hospitals, clinics or those provided in your own home.

Click on the options below to find out more.

Volunteer today and tell us what you are interested in and we will make it happen.  We just need a little bit of information from you so fill out the application form  and we will be in contact

Would you like to be part of a group that helps make improvements to your GP practice? You can help shape the future of your practice by joining a Patient Participation Group (PPG).  The group doesn’t only discuss all issues relating to practice, including the quality of services provided, how they are provided, how they could be improved and how the practice can better involve patients and local community in their work, they also arrange community activities, surveys and events.

Please email LLRICB-LLR.beinvolved@nhs.net. providing the name of your GP Practice.

Join the group which assures the involvement of people in the design of health services making sure that what people tell us influences how services are provided. The group meets on a monthly basis, and members prepare for meetings by familiarising themselves with data and insights.

Visit www.leicesterleicestershireandrutland.icb.nhs.uk/be-involved/.

NHS Recruitment Pack PPIAG April 2023

Equality Monitoring Form PPIAG April 2023

Important: If you wish to apply for the Public and Patient Involvement Assurance Group (PPIAG), all applications must be received by Sunday 18 June 2023.

Join our online forum and influence NHS services from the comfort of your armchair or when you are on the move.  You can share your views and opinions on a wide variety of health topics. We use your feedback to plan local services.

For more information visit www.bettercaretogetherllr.questionpro.eu/.

Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) provides community and mental health services for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

At LPT, they believe that the best way to create high quality, compassionate care and wellbeing for all, is to plan, shape and deliver services by patients, carers and staff working together. People with lived experience of health services understand what works well and what doesn’t, so we are increasing the role they have in the design, delivery and improvement of our services.

You can get involved if you are currently using LPT services or are a carer or family member for someone who is using our services. There are many different ways you can get involved, including volunteering, joining our Patient and Carer Involvement Network or becoming a Patient or Carer Lived Experience Partner.

For more information:

Visit:

www.leicspart.nhs.uk/involving-you/involving-you/

Telephone: 0116 295 0818

Email: lpt.patient.experience@nhs.net

The Hospital Volunteer Service was established in 2001 and over many years grew to having 500 volunteers (pre-pandemic) who provided a range of roles to support patient care. The range of activities are too numerous to list, but have been summarised below. These represent roles ranging from reception to ward-based volunteers. The majority of volunteers support Inpatients, demonstrating the popularity and integrity of roles that interface directly with patients. This portfolio of roles is evolving each year with new volunteering placements developed on a regular basis in response to requests from staff and suggestions from volunteers themselves.

The main volunteering roles:-

– Meet and Greet
– Buggy Drivers
– Ward Support
– Secret Garden
– Young People Pathway
– Specific areas e.g. Emergency Department, Cardiac rehab/pre-assessment etc.

For more information, visit www.leicestershospitals.nhs.uk/aboutus/work-for-us/volunteering-at-leicesters-hospitals/.

As a volunteer, you will support Healthwatch Leicester and Healthwatch Leicestershire in fulfilling our purpose in being the champion for people using health and social care services.

Training and support is available for every role and experience is not essential. The most important thing we look for is a belief that people in Leicester and Leicestershire should have the best health and social care services possible, and a desire to be part of making that happen.

Our volunteering roles are flexible and fit around your schedule. We will always work closely with you to ensure your volunteering role fits with your other personal and social commitments.

Volunteer roles

Enter & View Authorised Representative

The opportunity to observe health and social care services at the point of delivery; by speaking with staff, patients, residents, relatives and carers, be able to produce a report with recommendations to improve service delivery.

Youthwatch

We want to hear from children and young people who have something to say about the services that they use. If you are under 25, why not consider becoming a member of Young Healthwatch?

Engagement and events

The opportunity to support us at city and county-wide events. To engage with local people and encourage others to get involved. Be the eyes and ears of the local community or community of interest and bring to the attention of the staff team issues or concerns. Collate the views of people to input to Healthwatch developments and initiatives.

For more information visit www.healthwatchll.com/

Healthwatch Rutland is the people’s champion for health and social care. We belong to a network of 152 local Healthwatch all across England.  We listen to your health and social care experiences and feed them back to commissioners and providers so that health and care can be shaped and improved for all.

Our main areas of work are listening to your feedback and making links within health and social care services so that your experiences can be heard in the right places, at the right time. We can also offer health and social care advice to help you navigate services.

Website: www.healthwatchrutland.co.uk

Tel: 01572 720381

Email:info@healthwatchrutland.co.uk

Volunteering with us:

You can volunteer with us at Healthwatch Rutland. We currently have vacancies for:

  • Healthwatch Community Champions- Representing your local community or group to share news and information from Healthwatch Rutland and then listening to peoples feedback from your area and keeping Healthwatch Rutland informed.  
  • Enter and View Volunteers –  We have a legal powers to visit health and social care settings to observe and hear how users are experiencing it Volunteers help to lead this program.

For more information check out: https://www.healthwatchrutland.co.uk/volunteer

Volunteering can make the difference to you

It could support you into a job or a new career

For example, you may be looking to get back into the workplace or find a new career. By volunteering, it can be a stepping stone in finding a new career where you can really excel in. At the same time, you’ll gain experience and develop soft skills that are useful in all careers.

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It’s rewarding

Volunteering can be very rewarding and can help you find perspective in many ways. We all have our daily struggles and routines in life, but by volunteering, change can be made in a positive and impactful way.

It could support you to pursue an NHS career

You may be looking to pursue a career in healthcare. By volunteering with the opportunities available, you will gain so much experience and exposure to local healthcare services, which will prepare you for the future. You will also build many relationships with healthcare staff, which will also be a huge benefit as well as building personal growth.

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Make a positive impact on patient care

Volunteering goes a very long way, especially in the NHS. You will be making a positive impact on patient care, whether that be directly or indirectly. By doing one small act of kindness, you could trigger a chain reaction that could lead to many people striving to help others and achieve wonderful things!

It improves your health and wellbeing

This can also improve your health and wellbeing.

It’s fun and a great way to meet people

Volunteering is a fun and great way to meet new people and build friendship networks, especially if you are new to an area. It will also connect you with people who can resonate with some of the personal issues you may be facing.

Make an impact on your neighbours and community

By volunteering locally, you can also make an impact on your neighbours and people in your community. Volunteering is the ultimate "local" investment. Through your volunteer work, you will be improving the lives of specific individuals who live and work nearby, giving them a hand up and ensuring that they can thrive—making the entire community even stronger.

Connect with people and reduce loneliness and isolation

You could be feeling lonely and want to connect with people one of the best ways to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is to commit to a shared activity together.

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Feel proud of the part you play in creating lasting change

We can all spend far too much time thinking about ourselves. By volunteering, we can find out about the world around us and become aware of the causes and issues we didn’t know existed. Volunteering will make you look at the world outside your window and feel proud of the part you’re playing in making lasting change.

Watch our video below and hear what some of our current volunteers had to say and what it means to them.