CNWL needs you - become a volunteer today
We are looking for people from across the community to help continue providing care to our services, support our service users, their carers, friends and family and our staff.
CNWL has been accredited as Veteran Aware by the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) and has received the Bronze Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) for our commitment to support existing employees within the armed forces family. As such we welcome applications for volunteering from members of the veteran community.
Our volunteer roles change regularly based on the needs of our services.
For a full list of roles, visit this page. Please note: We are monitoring the use of AI. We would prefer to hear directly from you!
Our Volunteer Policy sets out all you need to know about volunteering with us.
CNWL volunteers play an important role in complementing the work of our staff. Volunteering enables members of the local community to participate and gain valuable experience in our work, benefitting service users, carers, staff and the overall community.
Volunteering can have a positive impact on your mental and physical health and is a great way to meet like-minded people. Volunteering can also help you gain new skills and experience in different environments, roles and areas of work.
Volunteering at CNWL NHS Trust also enhances the services we provide and strengthens the relationship between services and communities, helping transforming patient and carer experience, and supporting our teams’ resilience.
There are some other tangible benefits to volunteering:
- You can get references after six months for future volunteering roles or employment
- Volunteers can be nominated for the Gem Awards, recognizing your hard work and dedication
- We cover the travel expenses you have incurred in your role and some light lunch expenses when you volunteer for more than four hours
For a full list of roles, visit this page.
Please note: we are aware there has been an increase in applicants using AI (artificial intelligence) to help them complete their application. AI-generated applications are usually generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect what you can bring to a volunteer role. We are monitoring the use of AI and this may reduce your chances of success. We would prefer to hear directly from you!
We work with CNWL teams and services to develop roles that enhance and support our patient and staff experience, rather than doing a job. You will never be asked to do duties that are part of a paid role.
The link below will take you to a website with all current roles, where you can see more information about what each of them entails, including times and locations. If you decide to apply for one of them, you can do so from this online application portal.
It will take about 20 minutes to complete the application, and you will be able to save it, so you don’t need to finish it in one go. You will need to create an account before you are able to apply for any role.
Please follow this link to see a list of our current roles.
After you apply, one of our friendly team members will call you for an informal interview, explain more about the role and check it is a good fit for you.
Following this, we will need to carry out some checks and vetting, which involve a DBS check (Disclosure and Barring Service), reference checks and an Occupational Health assessment. The team is always available to help you and guide you through these steps.
You will also have to take part in some online training courses, as well as some other relevant training depending on your role.
The volunteer journey
CNWL NHS Trust has local arrangements in place with educational institutions, so their students can undertake professional placements and training. Please check with your educational institution as to whether they can facilitate this for you.
Outside of these arrangements, the Volunteer Service cannot facilitate placements or training directly. We cannot facilitate short-term work experience placements.
CNWL promotes inclusive recruitment. When considering applicants who require a criminal record check, also known as a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check, for some of our volunteer roles, we aim to create an open and honest space so candidates feel comfortable to share as much information as they can, during the application and recruitment process. We are committed in following best practice as we understand the importance of having an opportunity to provide more information about the circumstances and context surrounding any information that is declared or highlighted. It should be noted that having a record does not automatically exclude you from volunteering.
Volunteer to Career (VtC)
With hands on experience, personalised support, and skill-building every step of the way, VtC opens doors to real NHS roles gaining confidence, building skills, and supporting to be successful in getting into a career, all while making a difference.
"The support from Volunteer to Career Lead and St Charles staff solidified my career aspirations and propelled me towards a rewarding path in healthcare."
Check in and Chat
Our Check in and Chat service offers a friendly, compassionate and supportive service for the unpaid carers of the people who access CNWL services, who may be experiencing loneliness, isolation, exhaustion, poor mental health or who just feel they need a listening ear.
Carer feedback “The Chatter understood me, they didn’t judge. I felt encouraged that I had a safe space to talk to someone as I can’t talk to anyone else about how I’m feeling”.
Our Volunteering Strategy for 2025 to 2030 is available at the link below and a one page summary
Quick links
FAQs
To start volunteering, you need to go through our recruitment verification process which includes the following:
- Interview
- Proof of right to work documents
- Occupational health assessment
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
- References
- Online Mandatory Training
Once these steps have been completed, you will be ready to start volunteering.
The length of the recruitment process can vary depending on a number of factors such as the completeness and accuracy of the documents and forms needed to carry out the checks, the speed of DBS checks, the need of a one to one Occupational Health assessment and the availability of references. In our experience, it can take anytime between two and eight weeks.
Our aim is for volunteering to be accessible for all, as well as a good way to re-enter employment or education. If you haven’t been at work/ education for a while, you can ask a person that knows you well to be a character reference.
They can be a professional or a friend or colleague. They will have to know you for over one you and they cannot be related to you or live in the same household. We will need an email address for them.
CNWL is a Community and Mental Health Trust. As such, most of our services run during office hours Monday to Friday. However, as we also run some hospital wards/ units as part of bigger hospitals, there are some volunteer positions available which do offer weekends and evening volunteer work.
CNWL is committed to providing an inclusive and supportive environment for all volunteers. All volunteers go through an Occupational Health Assessment. The assessment is confidential and information is only shared with a relevant nurse in the Occupational Health Team.
No one else has access to this information. If you have any needs that may require a more in-depth conversation, one of the OH nurses will have a telephone chat with you. They will then produce a report with recommendations for your supervisor. No health information is disclosed on that report, just a list of recommendations that will make your volunteering placement more enjoyable. All the information will be handled sensitively and in accordance with data protection laws.
Volunteers, including those participating in the VtC program, cannot engage in clinical or therapeutic work. Clinical work encompasses tasks performed by health and social care professionals such as diagnosis, treatment, and counselling, which require specialised training and expertise, as well as being accredited by the relevant registration body.
Volunteers in non-clinical and clinical roles may assist with administrative tasks, support services, engage with patients, or community outreach, but are not permitted to perform tasks that require medical or therapeutic expertise.
Volunteers should never be out of pocket when they carry out their roles. CNWL is committed to reimburse any agreed expenses volunteers incur as part of their role.
These will need to be firstly discussed and agreed by your supervisor and the Volunteer Services Manager. Volunteer claims, alongside valid receipts, can be submitted and paid monthly via the Trust Expenses system: Selenity.
Yes, volunteers can take breaks and time off volunteering. We appreciate you let us know in advance so we can plan for your absence.
Unfortunately, CNWL Volunteer opportunities are only for individual volunteers. It is not designed for families, friends or groups. However, if you have a partner, friend or family member who is also interested in volunteering, we encourage them to apply to volunteer with us as well.