Hospital Library Trolley Round Volunteer
Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Hackney Libraries have been providing a library service to the hospital since 1948. We are looking for volunteers to provide library material to patients via a bedside trolley round service that travels around the wards.
Hackney Libraries have been providing a library service to the hospital since 1948. It is popular and well used and an important link between health services and libraries. The hospital trolley is stocked by the library and needs 2 people to effectively provide the service. By volunteering for this role you will help Hackney Libraries provide a service that improves the stay of hospital patients, assists patient’s well-being and provides a vital link to library services after hospital discharge. You will also be able to assist with providing information or recommend books that will be of both a health benefit and leisure benefit. Duties ● Meet a member of library staff each week to prepare the trolley for the ward rounds. ● Be familiar with the work of the Community Library Service who deliver to elderly, sick and disabled Hackney residents in their own homes and who run services to the hospital ● Assist the pushing of the trolley around the wards, stopping at bedsides to offer library material to both long term and short term patients. ● Note and follow up reserves and requests for long term patients. ● Work with ward staff to cause minimal disruption to the general ward activities and collect books left behind by discharged patients. ● Encourage and promote use of the library stock ● Liaise with library staff to keep the trolley well stocked and tidy, identifying stock genres that might need replacing or refilling 8. Return the trolley to its designated storage area after the completion of rounds ● Identify patients who may benefit from home visit library services when they are sent home ● Represent library services and the hospital in a positive way, demonstrating a friendly, empathetic and efficient manner when dealing with colleagues, staff, patients and visitors.
General and Helping
Reading & Writing
∙ Well presented with a friendly and approachable manner, good verbal and listening skills ∙ A willingness to meet and work alongside the Hackney Community Library staff and to follow their guidance and that of the Volunteer Supervisor ∙ Physically able to push a trolley of books around the hospital wards ∙ A commitment to improve the patient’s experience of their time in hospital ∙ Well presented, with a friendly and approachable manner and good verbal communication skills ∙ An ability to learn the lay-out of the hospital well ∙ A willingness to be flexible and to follow the guidance of a Volunteer Supervisor ∙ A commitment to the trust’s equal opportunities and diversity policies ∙ Volunteers must adhere to the Homerton’s volunteer guidelines, including rules on confidentiality, health and safety, safeguarding adults and children and manual handling ∙ To be willing to receive training in customer care, communication skills and any other areas as appropriate to the volunteer role. ∙ A knowledge and understanding of book genres and author types would be useful but is not essential as training is available if required, e.g. patients ask for crime books or romance from the trolley
N/A
∙ Able to commit reliably to 3 hours a week - 2:00 to 5:00 on Wednesdays
E9 6SR
Wards / Homerton Hospital
N/A
2
