Volunteer with us
With multiple sites throughout Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull, our volunteer opportunities could be close to your home and close to your heart.
We offer a world of volunteer opportunities across our services, which include mental health, learning disability and autism, integrated children's services, and corporate services.
Join us to gain valuable NHS experience alongside a community dedicated to empowering people to live a brighter, more fulfilled and more independent future.
Locations of volunteer roles
We are based out of more than 40 sites in Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull. If you live in or nearby our areas, you're likely not far from an opportunity to make a difference. Our main locations are:
- Caludon Centre, Coventry
- St Michael's Hospital, Warwick
- Woodloes House, Warwick
- Manor Hospital site, Nuneaton
- Brooklands Hospital, Solihull
- Stratford Healthcare, Stratford- upon-Avon
- The Railings, Rugby
- St Mary's Lodge, Leamington Spa
Types of volunteer roles
There are lots of different roles available, and we will support you to find the right fit. Some examples of our roles include:
- admin support
- ward roles
- activity volunteer
- café assistant
- chaplaincy volunteer
- volunteer driver
- collecting patient and carer feedback
Benefits of volunteering
There are many benefits to volunteering. Our volunteers tell us they do it to:
- give back to the local community and make a difference
- learn about the NHS and British culture
- find community and shared purpose
- network with other likeminded people
- build confidence, skills and knowledge
- gain careers experience
- feel a part of a community.
As well as knowing you will make a difference in people's lives, our volunteers can access a range of benefits, including:
- online training
- application advice and support for future roles
- opportunities to attend CWPT events and award ceremonies
- joining our volunteers network
- access to NHS discounts through Blue Light Card and other schemes.
Apply to be a volunteer
Becoming a volunteer takes just 4 simple steps, and our dedicated Volunteer Service will support you every step of the way.
1
Reach out to our Volunteer Service
Email volunteer@covwarkpt.nhs.uk and we'll discuss your interests and goals.
2
Complete an application
Once we've identified a role that we think will be the right fit, we'll support you to complete an application.
3
Attend an interview
If your application is successful, we'll invite you for interview.
4
Start volunteering
After completing recruitment checks, we'll arrange your start date and enrol you on any relevant online training, so you can start making a difference.
Things to consider before applying
We ask all our volunteers to commit to a minimum of 3 hours per week for a minimum of 6 months. This is to ensure continuity of care for our services and for our service users. For more information about volunteering, see our frequently asked questions.
Meet our volunteers
Our community of volunteers is 60 people strong and growing. Meet some of our incredible volunteers who give their time and skills at CWPT.
Back to the list
Day in the life of Patience Oluwaseto, Volunteer
Patience is a Community Support Volunteer in our Community Mental Health Service at Swanswell Point.
Patience's role is very varied and ranges from organising meetings and making referrals to visiting patients in the community. Patience also shadows the various professionals within the team and works closely with support workers, nurses, social workers, and psychiatric doctors to name a few. Volunteers must do at least 3 hours each week, and Patience volunteers Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays between 9:30am-2:30pm.
When I moved to the UK, I first started volunteering with the NHS as a Community Volunteer, supporting vaccination clinics during the pandemic. I then started volunteering with CWPT as a Patient and Carer Experience Volunteer at Whitestone Clinic. As I am a qualified social worker in my home country, I felt that I wanted to, and could do, more and was sent to support the Community Mental Health Service at Swanswell Point.
I'm loving the experience so far and I have developed so much knowledge and various skills, such as emotional intelligence, team working, communication, time management, and organisation. The team is amazing and it's great to be surrounded by so many experts in their fields.
Patience's drive for volunteering stems from her experiences in childhood. Growing up, Patience saw many children being left alone and neglected and always sought to give a helping hand wherever she could. As a Christian, Patience would always volunteer with her local church and kept falling in love with helping people and loved making people smile.
Volunteering is a passion for me. If you don't have a passion for it, you can't volunteer. Volunteering has always been a part of me, and I don't think I'll leave anytime soon. I am in the process of getting registered as a social worker in the UK, but I still plan to volunteer, even once I am working in a paid job.
We have told you about the inspiring support Patience gives in our Community Mental Health services, so here's a glimpse of what a day in the life looks like for Patience
Morning
I get up early to get my children ready for school. Sometimes my husband will take my eldest daughter to school before coming back to watch our youngest so I can head to my work to do my volunteering.
9:30am
My shift normally starts around 9:30am and I arrive at Swanswell Point ready to start my day. The first tasks I'm working on today are making calls to patients, finishing writing up a report, and making appointments.
12:30pm
Now we are going to the Caludon Centre to support with ward rounds. These can sometimes take longer than expected, as you don't know what each visit will entail. This sometimes means that I have to work later than my normal finish time of 2:30pm, but it's never a problem. My husband is always happy for me to stay later whilst he looks after our children, as he knows this a passion of mine.
2:00pm
It's time to head back to Swanswell Point to wrap up before I finish for the day at 2:30pm.
3:00-6:00pm
I'm back home now and have picked up my eldest daughter from school. I help her complete her homework, play games with both my children, and get dinner cooked.
6:00pm onwards
Once we've had dinner, I will get my children ready for bed. I then spend my evenings doing some reading on volunteering to keep my knowledge as up-to-date as possible. I also read up on important life skills, so that I can keep bringing my best self to my role every day and keep helping people.
People often ask me why I do it when I don't get paid, but it's not about the money. When reflecting, it makes me so happy to be able to touch a person's life and make a difference. That's priceless. I would really encourage anyone who is thinking about it to volunteer. Not only do you gain experience and knowledge, but I truly believe it is an act of service to humanity.
If you enjoyed reading about Patience gets up to as a Volunteer, and want to get involved yourself, please contact volunteer@covwarkpt.nhs.uk for more information.