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Thank you for your interest in volunteering at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Recruitment is now closed and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Once recruitment re-opens you will be able to find all our recruitment information here. If you are a health professional with clinical qualifications looking to return to work during the coronavirus outbreak please email workforus@bthft.nhs.uk

Please note: Voluntary Services does not arrange work experience placements. If you are interested in work experience, email: work.experience@bthft.nhs.uk

Opportunities for all

Our volunteers are a vital part of the team, and help us deliver the highest standards of healthcare. We simply could not operate as well as we do without them.

The Trust has an active volunteering community which continues to grow significantly. We currently have more than 450 people who give their time freely to help patients, staff and visitors and give something back to their local community, and we run regular recruitment drives for prospective volunteers.

On average, each volunteer donates four hours of their time each week – a total of 104,400 hours each year!

Volunteers from all cultures

We welcome volunteers from all abilities, backgrounds, cultures and beliefs – and are keen to hear from prospective volunteers.

Volunteers provide an invaluable service through a variety of support services and activities and make a huge difference to the care that our patients receive.

Our volunteers offer a tremendous contribution in support of patients and staff at Bradford Royal Infirmary, St Luke’s Hospital and at our community hospitals.

More information

  • FAQs

    Please click here to download our FAQs and answers.

  • Current volunteering opportunities

    Thank you for your interest in volunteering at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The volunteering window is currently closed, but please keep an eye out on this page for future notifications on new volunteer roles within our hospitals.

    Please note: Voluntary Services does not arrange work experience placements. If you are interested in work experience, email: work.experience@bthft.nhs.uk

  • Who can apply to be a volunteer?

    Anyone aged 17 and over can apply to become a volunteer. There is no upper age limit. We welcome people with disabilities and people from all cultures and backgrounds. We don’t ask for qualifications – all that we ask is that applicants are fit and well enough to undertake the volunteer role of their choice and that they have a genuine interest in helping others.

    We provide the necessary training and support and view our young volunteers as the potential NHS workforce of the future. Usual practice involves coming in to volunteer once a week for two-to-three hours, on the same day and at the same time each week.

    Please bear in mind that recruitment takes place two-to-three months prior to commencing a volunteer placement.

  • Volunteers aged 25 or over

    People aged 25 years and over tend to be the volunteers who stay with us on a long-term basis.

    Volunteers in this age group are welcome to apply during any one of our recruitment phases, providing they are fit and well enough to undertake the role they have chosen, but must be able to commit to a minimum of six months. Many stay for much longer!

  • Volunteers aged 17-25

    Anyone aged 17 or over is very welcome to apply to become a volunteer at Bradford Teaching Hospitals. Most young people apply to become a volunteer because they have an interest in working within healthcare as a doctor, nurse, or allied health professional, or within one of the many non-clinical support roles such as porters or catering assistants.

    While it is not possible to volunteer in all of these areas, our Patient Support Scheme provides a good introduction to working within a hospital setting, and volunteers will be able to relate much of their experience to their prospective career.

    Other volunteer roles beneficial to students and other young people include hospital radio and the play assistant role. Volunteering within Guiding Services is also a good way to improve knowledge of NHS services and build confident communication skills.

    Young volunteers must be able to commit to a full, consecutive period of six months.

  • Apply

    Applicants will be selected using the process detailed on the ‘Completing your application form page’. All applicants will be shortlisted from information provided on the application form and, if successful, invited to a group interview. Applicants successfully shortlisted from the group interviews will be required to attend a final assessment/induction.

    Completing your application form

    Thank you for your interest in volunteering at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The volunteering window is currently closed, but please keep an eye out on this page for future notifications on new volunteer roles within our hospitals.

    Please note: Voluntary Services does not arrange work experience placements. If you are interested in work experience, email: work.experience@bthft.nhs.uk

    If you would like to volunteer in any of our tea bars at BRI or St Luke’s please  email volunteer.information@bthft.nhs.uk.

    Please note that these roles are available Monday to Friday 9-4 only.

    Many thanks for your interest in volunteering with us.

    Contact Us
    Voluntary Services Department
    Main Corridor, Level One
    Bradford Royal Infirmary
    Duckworth Lane
    Bradford
    BD9 6RJ

    Email: Volunteer.Information@bthft.nhs.uk

Why volunteer?

Volunteering at Bradford Teaching Hospitals allows us to do so much more, whether that’s providing extra care for patients or providing better support to our teams. Some of the benefits of volunteering include:

  • The ability to meet new people, make new friends, keep busy and do something rewarding and useful
  • Giving something back to your local community
  • The chance to learn new skills and gain experience in healthcare
  • To help gain entry into university or college
  • To have fun and gain life experience

Volunteer feedback

“I like to volunteer because I get great satisfaction in talking to the patients and putting them at ease. I like making people drinks and seeing the smile it puts on people’s faces.”

“I volunteer to give a little bit of something back after receiving excellent hospital treatment. I really enjoy it.”

“I love music and making people happy, bringing back good memories for the patients.”

“I enjoy feeling part of a team that helps all people get well and return home. It’s nice to feel useful and the patients appreciate someone to talk to.”

“I volunteer to keep active and meet different people. Hopefully I am able to help people and have a good laugh.”