Your Choices

Cardiff and Vale University

Health Board Voluntary Services

There are also a number of voluntary

organisations in your local area. Whatever your
age and circumstances - employed, housewife,
unemployed, retired, etc., there are voluntary
organisations in your local area that can offer you
an exciting and rewarding volunteering
experience.

WillVoluntary Work Affect My

Benefits?
Those in receipt of welfare benefits can do
voluntary work. Your benefits will not be affected
provided you do not receive any money other
than to cover the cost of expenses.

So What Do You Do Now?

Youve now got an idea of what is available and
how you could be of help to others in your local
community.
To find out more and get information and
advice on volunteering contact

Time Commitment
Your time commitment can vary depending on the
nature of the voluntary work. Each individual has
a varying amount of time to commit. This could
be as little as two-four hours a week, or as much
as a day a week. It is important to offer only as
much time as you are able to give regularly.

Will You Get Expenses?

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board will
refund your travel expenses and other essential
expenses such as protective clothing. Before
agreeing to do voluntary work, check that your
expenses will be refunded it is your right not to
be out of pocket when doing voluntary work!

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Voluntary Services Department,
Mental Health Division
Whitchurch Hospital
Park Road
Whitchurch
Cardiff
CF14 7XB
Tel: 029 2033 6439
Email: jill.griffiths4@wales.nhs.uk

Who We Are And What We Do...

What CanVoluntary Work Offer?

One of the main priorities for the Health Board is

to improve the patient experience and that of
their family and carers. The added value given by
volunteers will help the achievement of this aim.
The Volunteer Services Manager has made
significant improvements in the involvement of
volunteers in the Health Board. This includes
recruitment, training and documentation of
volunteer support for patients and the roll out of
ward based volunteers across a large number of
wards. This foundation will now be used to
further expand and enhance the role of volunteers
in improving the patient experience.

Why Cardiff and Vale UHB

Voluntary Services?

What Can You Offer?

The purpose of the Voluntary Services within

Cardiff and Vale UHB is:

to promote volunteering
to promote good practice in working with
volunteers
to advocate the rights and responsibilities of
volunteers
to provide information and advice on a wide
range of volunteering opportunities
to liaise and work in partnership with local
voluntary and statutory agencies
to offer, where possible, voluntary
opportunities to all sections of the community

What isVoluntary Work?

voluntary work is any activity which is

undertaken by free choice and is unpaid
it enables people to offer their service
beyond the call of economic necessity or
social obligation
volunteers make a significant difference in
their chosen field
volunteers contribute to a better quality of life

structure to your day

work experience
recognition of what you can offer others
the chance to acquire new skills
a change of status from helped to helper
social contact - meeting new people
involvement in the community
a challenge
a chance to build up your confidence
a taster of a new career
a sense of achievement
a reference
enjoyment!

Voluntary work means making a commitment to

do something for your community and carrying it
through. You will not be paid for doing voluntary
work; therefore it is important that you will be
doing something which will benefit you directly in
other ways.
A successful voluntary placement can therefore
be achieved, only if you are clear about your own
needs, and what you hope to get out of voluntary
work. You need to start thinking about ways in
which you can best contribute.
Ask yourself the following questions:

What are your particular skills and interests?

What do you really enjoy doing?
If you prefer working with people, is this on a
one- to-one or group basis?
Do you enjoy doing the things you can do
easily, or would you prefer the challenge of
something new?

Volunteering Opportunities
Here are some areas of work that may interest
you, with a few tasters of our wide range of
variable opportunities.

Hospital Radio Volunteers

Rookwood Sound based at Rookwood Hospital

Radio Glamorgan based at University Hospital of
Wales
Hospital radio aims to provide comfort and
entertainment to patients in hospital with a
special mix of music and chat. The service also
keeps patients in touch with their family and
friends with music requests and local news items.
Hospital TV programmes, where they are
provided, report on events in the community and
keep patients informed.All hospital stations are
run entirely by volunteers.

Befriending
This voluntary work is suitable for people who
would like to work on a one-to-one basis with
older people, the young, disabled or people with
a learning difficulty or mental heath problems.
This could include having a chat, listening,
reading, assisting in ward activities just being a
friendly face at the bedside.

Practical
If you are the sort of person who likes to get their
hands dirty, work in the open air, gardening may be
of interest to you as we have volunteers who tend
to the service users areas on several hospital sites.

Retail
Many national and local charities run shops, which
provide them with a much-needed income.
Opportunities are available both to work in the front of
the shop selling and displaying the stock or behind the
scenes sorting, and pricing the items.