Thank you for considering volunteering at the NCA. We do ask some requirments of all our volunteers during recruitment and once you have been cleared to start.
- Must be over the age of 18 (unless applying for our Summer 60 Programme, applications open around March)
- You must be able to provide 3 ID documentation for ID and Background Checks
- You must be able to provide 2 references who can vouch for your character, skills and suitablility for the role. For more Information on references please see the following question 'Who can be a reference?'
- You must be able to commit to a minimum of 12 months and to an agreed number of hours/shifts
- You must live within 5 miles of your chosen hospital site, use How Far Is It Between to work out your distance
- You must complete all mandatory training and keep up to date with all training
18+
Anyone over the age of 18 can apply to be a volunteer.
16-19 - SUMMER 60
Our SUMMER 60 Programme is for those aged16-19 to join us for 60 hours of volunteering during the summer months. Applications for 2025 are now closed.
Teamwork is a vital part of volunteering. You may be working closely with other volunteers as well as various members of staff. It is important to build rapport and strong relationships in any role, therefore we ask all Volunteers to commit to a minimum of 12 months volunteering with us.
Every volunteering role requires a different level of commited hours and shifts. For details on the requirments for each role, please see the Volunteer Brochure.
Our volunteers have a range of different skills and experineces under their belts. We don't ask for any specific experience for most of our roles, welcoming volunteers from all kinds of backgrounds.
We do ask that all of our volunteers are
- Empathetic
- Dedicated
- Caring
Some roles however may have some requirements with regard to experience. If a Role requires a specific skills set or qualification, you will find this in the Volunteer Handbook.
We have multiple volunteer roles available across our sites. Please browse our Volunteer Brochure to find a role that is best suited for you. The brochure explores our available roles, requirements of the role and where the role is based. Not all roles are available at all sites.
You must live within 5 miles of your prefered volunteering site. To check your distance, click - How Far Is It Between and use the 'As The Crow Flies' calculator. When submitting an application, please only apply for hospitals within your catchement area.
Please note: We may pull any roles or pause volunteering at one or all of our sites at any time.
We appriciate every person that wishes to volunteer with us, and value the dedication to giving up your time and sharing your skills and experience. If you have browsed our website and decided volunteering with us is right for you, the first step is to submit an application form.
We read through and carefully consider each application that is sent to us, however not all apllications are successful.
The graphic below displays the recruitment process and steps taken when recruiting a new volunteer.
If your application has been successful, you will be invited to a recruitment event. You will need to confirm prior to attending what documents you will be required to bring to the event. Following this event we will then complete:
- ID Check
- DBS
- Occupational Health Clearance
- References
Once all of these checks have been completed and cleared, and all training is complete, you will be invited in for your induction.
If there is anything that neededs further investigation folowwing these checks, you may be invited in to discuss this.
If your application is successful, you will be emailed an invitation to attend an interview.
You MUST contact the office to confirm your attendance and discuss the required documents you will need to bring on the day.
In the first instance, we would ask for these three documents:
- Passport
- UK Driving Licence (full or provisional)
- Bank Statment (must be less than three months old and contain your name and address) or most recent council tax letter.
We understand not everyone can provide these exact documents. This is why it is critical to call the office once you have recieved an email to discuss what documentation you are able to provide in order for the necessary checks to be completed.
All volunteers will be asked to provide two references who can vouch for your character, skills and suitability for the role.
Referees must be either:
A Professional Reference - Ideally from a previous employer or from a school/college/university teacher.
A Character and Personal Reference - someone who has known you for a minimum of two years and who is of some standing in your community. Further guidance about the persons of some standing in the community can be found on the gov.uk website.
Referees must not be -
- Under the age of 18
- Related by birth or marriage
- In a relationship with you or live with you
- Your doctor - unless you know the person well (for example, you’re a good friend)
Only professional e-mail addresses will now be accepted. This means we cannot accept emails that end in personal domains e.g Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, etc. The reason for this is because we need to verify that it was sent from a professional source. All reasonable checks are taken to clarify the appropriateness and existence of companies and referees.
All volunteers must complete a number of online mandatory training modules before starting their role. The training modules will need to be kept up to date in order to maintain your volunteering role. Some modules need completing every year, some every two years and some every three years.
In addition to this, some roles may require further face to face training. This will be provided once you have been cleared to start and before you begin your role. For more information about what training may be required for each role, please refer to our Volunteering Brochure.
If your application has been successful, you will be invited to interview with your documents. At this time, you will also be emailed a link with your new account for our online training.
Please see the Mandatory Training Guide for help accessing your account.
The Mandatory Training Modules are:
- Equality & Diversity
- Health & Safety
- Fire Safety (Non Clinical)
- Information Governance, Declaration & Skills Check
- Safeguarding Adults
- Safeguarding Children
- Moving & Handling
- Infection Control
- Resusitation
All volunteers will be provided with a T-Shirt and ID Badge at their induction. The T-Shirts may vary depending on the volunteering role. Your ID badge must be worn on site at all times whilst volunteering.
It is important that all our volunteers are easily recognisable amongst staff and patients. All volunteers must adhere to the NCA Workwear Policy during their shift.
We are thrilled that you would like to put forward an application to be a volunteer with us.
Please read through all the information we have available online and browse through our availble roles before filling in an application. This is to ensure you have all the information you need and understand the requirments and commitment we expect from our volunteers.
We appriciate every application we get to volunteer with us and are grateful that so many people would love to join us. However, due to the high volume of applications we receive, not all applications will be successful. We encourage you to carefully consider the role your applying for and take your time when filling in your application.