Volunteering

Volunteer Agreement

Alder Hey

This Agreement is a means of highlighting our commitment to providing a rewarding and productive volunteering experience that is of mutual benefit to Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and you, the volunteer. It is not intended to be legally binding and does not create any contractual obligations.

This Agreement confirms your right of access to Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust (“the Trust”) solely for the purposes of volunteering work on the terms set out below. This agreement does not give rise to an employment relationship between you and the Trust or to an employer and worker relationship or partnership between you and the Trust.

The Volunteer

You are considered to be a legal visitor to Alder Hey Hospital. You are not entitled to any form of payment or paid benefit provided by the Trust to employees.  If you are an existing NHS employee with another NHS organisation, you will remain accountable to your employer. Access to training and or educational programmes should be discussed with your Volunteering Services Manager/Head of Department and are subject to any policies and procedures within the Trust.

The Trust accepts no liability for loss by theft, fire or other means of personal property.

The Volunteer agrees to the following:

• Each volunteering session I will sign in and out at the concierge desk
• I will undertake my volunteer role at agreed times, informing the relevant member of staff if I am unable to attend (Concierge and your Department)
• Undertaking my role to the best of my ability, following the Role Description
• Comply with the Volunteer Dress Code, including: wearing a clean T-shirt/Navy Jeans/white pumps and wearing my Alder Hey identity badge when on hospital premises
• My hair will be tied back/no chewing gum/no nail polish/no mobile/ no jewellery below the elbow
• I will act in a calm and professional manner
• I will raise any issues or concerns relating to my placement with my department manager or Volunteering Services Department
• I will Inform Volunteering Services in writing if I wish to leave my placement
• I will promptly return any Alder Hey property that I may have in my possession on ceasing my volunteering position T-shirt and ID badge.
• I will contact the Volunteer Services Department if I unable to attend for any reason

Health and Safety:

I will comply with, policies and procedures related to Health and Safety (whether statutory or Trust).  As a volunteer working within the Trust, I will carry out my duties in a responsible manner, working within the Health and Safety Guidelines.  I will take reasonable care for the health and safety of myself and others who might be affected by my acts or failures to act.

Following any extended absence ( 4 weeks+) I will contact the Volunteer Services Department to arrange a Resuming Volunteering appointment., which may result in a referral to Team Prevent to assess Fitness to Volunteer.

Confidentiality:

You may not disclose confidential information unless expressly authorised to do so by the Trust or required in the proper performance of your duties or as required by the law including any obligation under the Health and Social Care (Safety and Quality) Act 2015.

For the avoidance of doubt, confidential information includes, but is not limited, to names and details of patients including their medical condition and personal information concerning members of staff such as home address.

This obligation is without prejudice to the law concerning protected disclosures in the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 and/or any obligations that you have to raise concerns about patient safety and care with regulatory or other statutory bodies.

Data Protection and Security

You agree to comply with the Trust’s Information Security and Records Management Policy and any appropriate NHS or professional Codes of Practice and departmental protocols when handling personal data in the course of volunteering including personal data relating to any patient, employee, customer, client, supplier or agent of the Trust.

In particular, you must comply with the requirements for personal data to be held in accurate format and stored securely, and for personal data only to be used in connection with the purpose for which it was collected.

You understand and agree that the Alder hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust will hold and/or process data relating to you for the performance of this agreement, for compliance with any legal obligation, for the protection of your vital interests or in the public interest, in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 and with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Safeguarding

I agree to carry out my duties in accordance with the Trust’s Safeguarding Policy as explained during my training session.  Copies of this policy are available in the Volunteer Services Department.

Equal Opportunities:

I agree to carry out my duties in accordance with the Trust’s Equal Opportunities Policy. Copies are available in the Volunteer Services Department.

Volunteer Work Copyright and other intellectual property rights:

I confirm that I understand that any work I produce in the course of my volunteer work at Alder Hey is copyrighted to Alder Hey and not to me. I am aware that I can have copies of the work that I produce to keep for my own purposes, but I accept that the work itself belongs to Alder Hey.

I have read and understand this agreement and agree to abide by Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust policies and procedures, including Safeguarding, Business Conduct, Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety, Confidentiality and Infection Control.

I understand that the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order requires me to declare any criminal convictions whether 'spent' or 'unspent' before I can work with vulnerable groups in a voluntary service capacity and that any such offences must be declared as part of an Enhanced Disclosure Barring Service check. This means that if I have ever been cautioned or convicted of any offence within my lifetime, I will have to declare it.

I understand that during my voluntary activity within the Trust, I may have access to information designated by the Trust as being of a confidential nature. I must not divulge, publish or disclose such information without prior written consent of the Trust

I undertake to conduct myself in a responsible manner whilst volunteering for the Trust, to follow Trust values and to endeavour at all times to serve patients and families and to foster good volunteer / staff relationships.