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Job Description
- Req#: C9369-25-0465?language=en&page=56&sort=publicationDateDesc
- Ensuring patients feel safe, valued, and included
- Supporting staff wellbeing
- Promoting equity and trauma-informed care
- Involving patients in decisions and daily activities
- Designing environments that support recovery
- People who are happy volunteering outside in all the different weather conditions.
- Basic knowledge /interest in gardening, horticulture
- Manual handling experience (not essential)
- Commitment to the ethos and values of DPT
- Adaptability, flexibility and creativity
- Good interpersonal skills and experience of working in a team
- People who are happy volunteering outside in all the different weather conditions.
- Basic knowledge /interest in gardening, horticulture
- Manual handling experience (not essential)
- Commitment to the ethos and values of DPT
- Adaptability, flexibility and creativity
- Good interpersonal skills and experience of working in a team
Job summary
Days/times: Minimum of two hours a week, ideally midweek mornings. Flexible depending on availability. Ideally must be able to commit for a minimum of 6 months
Main Purpose
To volunteer on Coombehaven Ward, befriending patients who may feel socially isolated during admission. The role supports wellbeing through informal conversation, companionship, and participation in ward-based social activities, aligned with the NHS Culture of Care Programme and the wards recovery-focused approach.
About The Cedars and Coombehaven Ward
The Cedars in Exeter includes Coombehaven Ward, a mixed-gender locked unit offering assessment and treatment for adults with mental health needs. The ward provides a safe, therapeutic space with structured activities, individualised care, and a garden for meaningful engagement.
NHS Culture of Care Programme
A national initiative to transform inpatient services by prioritising safety, dignity, and inclusion. Key commitments include:
Main duties of the job
Key Tasks
Liaise with a named staff member for direction
Befriend patients through informal conversation and presence
Join social activity groups under staff supervision
Encourage interaction to reduce isolation and loneliness
Offer comfort and emotional support through active listening
Report concerns to the nurse in charge
Maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries
Ideal Candidate Genuine interest in people and mental health Strong interpersonal and communication skills Compassionate, friendly, and non-judgemental Able to follow guidance in a ward setting Discreet, reliable, and aware of boundaries
Additional Information
Must be 18 plus
Minimum 2 hours/week for 6 months
DBS and references required before starting
Complete mandatory training and log hours via Better Impact
Induction and role-specific training provided
Adhere to Trust policies, including confidentiality and health & safety
Travel expenses reimbursed (per policy)
References available after 6 months
Voluntary role with no employment relationship implied
About us
About Devon Partnership Trust
We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.
We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do
Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.
We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.
Details
Date posted
06 June 2025
Pay scheme
Other
Salary
Depending on experience
Contract
Voluntary
Duration
1 days
Working pattern
Flexible working
Reference number
C9369-25-0465
Job locations
Wonford House Hospital
Dryden Road
Exeter
EX2 5AF
Job descriptionJob description
Job responsibilities
Contribute to planning of daily activities and creating tasks linked to peoples individual goals
To participate in practical tasks around the nursery, allotment and orchard e.g. filling pots with compost, pricking out, potting on, dead-heading, watering and general plant husbandry
Contribute to development of horticulture at New Leaf
To work alongside colleagues and service users during the day
To be aware of health and safety and contribute to the maintenance of a safe working environment.
Job responsibilities
Contribute to planning of daily activities and creating tasks linked to peoples individual goals
To participate in practical tasks around the nursery, allotment and orchard e.g. filling pots with compost, pricking out, potting on, dead-heading, watering and general plant husbandry
Contribute to development of horticulture at New Leaf
To work alongside colleagues and service users during the day
To be aware of health and safety and contribute to the maintenance of a safe working environment.
Person SpecificationPerson Specification
Experience
Essential
Experience
Essential
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details
Employer name
Devon Partnership NHS Trust
Address
Wonford House Hospital
Dryden Road
Exeter
EX2 5AF
Employer's website
https://www.dpt.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
Employer details
Employer name
Devon Partnership NHS Trust
Address
Wonford House Hospital
Dryden Road
Exeter
EX2 5AF
Employer's website
https://www.dpt.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
About the company
National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery—a health service based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, free at the point of use for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom apart from dental treatment and optical care.
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