Get Involved - Working with Us
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To assist our professional staff we have a number of voluntary opportunities. The different roles vary in both numbers of volunteers required and the duties they perform. The volunteer vacancies vary from month to month and details are constantly updated.

Unit Support

Friendly, caring people serve refreshments and talk to the patients and their visitors and provide general help around the Unit. The task is carried out three times a day, seven days a week at 10am (3 hours), 2.15pm(1½ hours) and 7.30pm(1 hour).
Morning         -                       On Call cover
Afternoon       -                       Wednesday, Friday
Evening          -                       Friday, Saturday, On Call cover

Volunteers assist the Housekeeper with the distribution of breakfast (7.30am - 9am), lunch (12 noon - 1.30pm) and dinner (4.30pm - 6pm). Distributing the meals, offering alternatives, talking to patients, their families and friends and helping to clear up is all part of the role.
Breakfast                     -            Thursday, Friday

Day Therapies Unit

Day Therapy Unit volunteers help under the direction of the Day Therapy Unit Sister, providing hospitality and friendship to patients attending the Day Unit as well as actively participating in any planned recreational activities. Duties are of a non-nursing nature. The Day Therapy Unit is open Tuesday through to Friday and it is important to be available weekly on this team. Time involved is usually one morning (9.30am – 12noon) or afternoon (1pm - 3.30pm) each week.
No Vacancies at present

Day Therapies Unit  – COMPLEMENTARY THERAPISTS

The Day Therapy Unit offers complementary therapies to the patients attending the Day Unit. Current therapies include manicure, hairdressing, reflexology, aromatherapy and reiki. The Day Therapy Unit is open Tuesday through to Friday and it is usual to be available either weekly or fortnightly for either a 3-4 hour morning or afternoon shift or for the whole day.
No Vacancies at present

Day Therapies Unit Drivers

Volunteer drivers are involved in collecting patients from their homes and transporting them to the Day Therapy Unit at Michael Sobell House for 9.30am. Drivers then arrive at approximately 3.30pm for the return trip. The Day Unit is open Tuesday through to Friday and although most drivers are available every week, we do have a requirement for those that can help occasionally or at short notice. Time involved is usually about 1-2 hours each way on the same day each week. Drivers are asked to initially produce their driving documents and annually thereafter. Mileage expenses are paid.
Tuesday to Friday inclusive
Drivers urngently required to cover Hayes, Uxbridge areas

Tasks mainly concern the upkeep of the pleasant garden and patio areas. The team meets on a Tuesday morning although there are always jobs to do throughout the week.
No vacancies at present

Volunteers are required to provide emotional support and practical help for patients within the patients own home. As well as practical help they may offer a listening ear, companionship, the opportunity for a short outing, or a sitting service thus enabling the usual carer to take a short break. Recruitment and selection campaigns run on an occasional basis followed by a training and induction programme. Home Visits may then take place at any time of the day, evening or weekend to suit both the patient and the visiting volunteer.
Please contact Jo-Anne Edwards for information 01923-844569

Volunteers are required to clean and maintain the delightful aviary with Michael Sobell House. Volunteers work within a small team who have the responsibility for the maintenance of the aviary as well as the well-being and purchasing of birds and equipment.
No Vacancies at present

Volunteers with a sound knowledge of Word and Excel are required to support the work of the professional staff at Michael Sobell House. Time involved is usually between 3 and 5 hours on one morning or afternoon each week on a regular on-going basis. Administration and reception volunteers provide help during normal office hours of Monday – Friday 9am to 5pm.
Thursday pm

Charity Shops

We have two highly successful charity shops, one in Northwood and one in Ruislip town centres. The shops open from 10am to 4pm and three or four volunteers man the shop splitting the day between them. Sorting goods, pricing stock, cash handling and serving customers are all involved.
Please contact the shops directly to discuss vacancies.

Office and general help is always very welcome in our busy Fundraising office. We have an active fundraising calendar packed with events. You could use your skills in many ways to the benefit of Michael Sobell House. Duties include telephone work, mail-shots and photocopying. We have a number of annual events for which we rely on voluntary help.
Please contact Fundraising Office for details of vacancies on 01923-844606

Drivers

Carrying out a variety of administrative tasks in the Fundraising Office, dealing with telephone enquiries and undertaking standard correspondence.  Basic IT skills required together with knowledge of office equipment, good organisational and interpersonal skills.  6 or 7 hours per week.

Promoting MSH throughout the Mount Vernon Hospital site, building on existing links and establishing new contacts to raise awareness of the work of MSH.  Outgoing personality and good telephone manner required. 
4 hours per week.

Responsible for maintaining existing links with local supermarkets/stores and establishing new contacts.  Co-ordinating collections outside these venues and increasing our database of volunteer collectors.  Organising these collectors to assist with our annual appeals.  Basic IT knowledge and good telephone manner required. 
6 hours per week.

Identify links with places of worship and establishing contacts.  Raising awareness of MSH by publicising events and promoting annual appeals.  Good interpersonal skills and awareness of religious organisations needed. 
Up to 1 full day per week.

Organising the distribution and collection of static boxes at local pubs, shops, clubs, etc.  Promoting links to increase the number of outlets where boxes are sited.  Organising volunteer drivers to collect and deliver boxes.  Good telephone manner, some IT knowledge useful. 
Up to 6 hours per week.

Responsible for establishing list of existing copperbox holders and promoting these to obtain new holders.  Good telephone manner required. 
Up to 6 hours per week.

Responsible for obtaining copies of the local newspapers and local newsletters.-Cut out relevant articles and create two scrapbooks- one for MSH press coverage and one for other local Hospices in order to keep the MSH fundraising team up to date with all press coverage every week.
-The Champion will also be required to make contact with the editors of the above publications, record copy dates and times and send articles to editors supplied by other members of the fundraising team or trustees every week.
-Similarly in the case of local newsletter editors (e.g. residents association)  to send articles for publication by the copy date/time to the appropriate newsletter editor.
-Keep the FoMSH website news pages up to date, in conjunction with the webmaster.

This person would receive out of pocket expenses to be agreed beforehand, i.e. for costs incurred for buying the newspapers etc.

The ideal person for this position is outgoing and enthusiastic and could spare four hours a week in the fundraising office, have a knowledge of working with computers and enjoy working in a busy environment.
4 hours per week