Volunteering section

Our volunteers support and enhance our services at Oxleas NHS. We are supported by around 250 volunteers every year, from all walks of life, who bring their own skills, experience and passion to what we do.

Our volunteering opportunities are open to all members of the public, service users and carers.

Thinking of volunteering?

It’s a great way to get involved and meet people. If you’ve got some free time to spare, we’d love to talk to you about our different and varied volunteering opportunities.

We have mainstream volunteering for local people and ex-service users, as well as opportunities for you to make a difference as a service user or carer volunteer via our Volunteer to Work Scheme, ResearchNet and Non-Violent Resistance parent volunteering.

If you’re an Oxleas member, you can stand to be a Service User/Carer or Public Governor and help our Council of Governors represent the view of members and the public. 

Live opportunities to join our volunteer family and work with us can be viewed here

What we look for in a volunteer

You can volunteer if you are aged over 16. We ask all our volunteers to make a commitment of at least three hours a week for nine months so that we can create long-lasting and meaningful roles and relationships with staff and service users.

You will need to pass a Disclosure and Barring Service check, attend training, supply two references and complete an Occupational Health disclosure before you can start volunteering because some of our volunteer roles will involve contact with vulnerable individuals.

How volunteering benefits you

Volunteers provide invaluable support to the trust. Becoming a volunteer with us will also allow you to:

  • use your free time in an enjoyable and positive way
  • share your interests, knowledge and experience
  • explore career options and gain references for future jobs
  • learn new skills and gain valuable experience for work or further education
  • meet new people and get involved in your community
  • gain a sense of achievement

Volunteer to Work (V2W)

Our Volunteer to Work (V2W) scheme is for service users with a current care co-ordinator or key worker and provides an opportunity for a 12 to 18 month placement within our services.

Our aim is to help our service users back into employment by giving them the ability to regain their office based skills, increase in confidence and self-esteem.

Working hours are slowly built upon as you progress through the placement depending on whether part or full time work is required on completion. You are supported throughout the process and have access to training.

After three months a reference from Oxleas can be provided.

If you or someone you know is interested in this scheme, find out more by getting in touch.

Call 0208 201 9404 or email Debbie Goodson: Deborah.goodson@nhs.net

Peer support volunteers

Use your personal lived experience to support other service users.

Our Lived Experience Practitioners (LXPs) work with people who have been diagnosed with mental health conditions.

They have experienced their own mental health problems and can draw upon their lived experience of mental health challenges and their personal recovery journey, to develop empathetic relationships and support recovery.

Our LXPs are both volunteers and in paid roles across all our directorates and working within multi-disciplinary teams.

The paid role requires attendance at a training course, one day a week for 12 weeks and a minimum commitment of 15 hours per week. Volunteers are asked to commit to whatever time they can.

To find out more call 0208 301 9487 or email Japleen Kaur: japleen.kaur@nhs.net

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