Compassionate Friends Volunteers

Kingston Hospital NHS Trust; Kingston upon Thames; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Kingston upon Thames is seeking compassionate volunteers to provide companionship to patients nearing the end of life. The ideal candidates will display empathy, kindness, and the ability to support families during difficult times. This role requires commitment and dedication to our values of caring and responsibility. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply and will need to attend an assessment meeting and provide identification as part of the application process.

Qualifications

• Ability to provide companionship to patients in their last days.
• Empathy and compassion required for supporting patients and families.

Responsibilities

• Provide companionship to patients nearing the end of life.
• Support families emotionally during difficult times.

Job description

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.

Home, community, hospital

Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust offers a range of fantastic opportunities to grow your career across both hospital and community settings in south London. Whether you're looking to build new skills or take your experience to the next level, we are uniquely placed to provide the right environment to support your professional development. With colleagues working in people's homes, in community clinics, and in our two hospitals, we have an outstanding breadth of knowledge and experience to draw from.

Our commitment to exceptional care is reflected in being the first trust of our kind in London to achieve an 'Outstanding' rating from the CQC for both overall quality and leadership. We exist to provide the best possible care for our patients and we do that by giving our colleagues what they need to be their best at work. We have won numerous awards from the HSJ and Nursing Times for the way we support our colleagues across all our services.

We are proud to be recognised for our outstanding cancer care, children's services, pioneering surgical teams, and exceptional rehabilitation services. Our maternity services have been rated the "Best in London" by women surveyed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), with parents travelling to Kingston to take advantage of our considerable experience and expertise.

Our Trust values

• Compassionate: We provide care with kindness, understanding, and empathy for all.
• Inclusive: We embrace diversity and respect the unique contributions of every individual.
• Collaborative: We foster teamwork across all levels, working together and with our partners to deliver the best outcomes.
• Inspiring: We are committed to continuous improvement and excellence in patient care, staff development, and innovation.

Compassionate Friends Volunteers provide companionship to patients who are in the last days or weeks of life. Some patients have little or no contact with people who are not part of the clinical team and often feel alone.

Compassionate Friends Volunteers provide a compassionate presence complimenting clinical care. Volunteers also support and bring peace of mind to families who are emotionally and physically exhausted from time spent at the bedside of their loved one or those who are not able to visit.

Essential Information:

If you are interested in more than 1 role, please submit your application on your initial preference (other roles can be discussed at assessment).

Please kindly note, you will be given a 20-minute assessment on the week commencing either the 26th January 2026 or 2nd February 2026 at Kingston Hospital.

The Mandatory training for this role will be on Tuesday 10th March 2026.

Please only apply if you are able to attend the above dates.

Please can you ensure you provide details for 2 references (one of which you have known for over 3 years) It is essential you provide an email address for each reference when submitting your application. Please note - you can provide a family friend but not a relative.

Please ensure to bring the below I.D documents to your assessment otherwise we will not be able to proceed with your assessment on the day.

A minimum of THREE individual forms of valid, current, and original identification are required. Please bring one document from group one (below) AND two documents from group two (Below):

Group One:

• UK Passport
• EEA/Swiss Passport
• Other passport with indefinite leave to remain
• Other Passport
• Biometric Residence permit
• Driving Licence photo card (UK, IOM or CI)
• Current EU Photo Driving Licence
• EU national identity card - EU only

Group Two:

• Driving Licence photo card (UK, IOM or CI)
• Current EU Photo Driving Licence
• Driving licence - old-style paper licence (must be UK)
• Bank statement (UK/EEA) - less than 3 months old
• Utility bill - less than 3 months old (UK)
• Utility bill - 2nd Supplier - less than 3 months old
• Council Tax Statement - issued in the last 12 months
• Mortgage statement (UK or EEA) must be a recognised lender and issued in the last 12 months.

NB: If you are aged 16 - 19 years, in full time education and you are unable to provide two documents from group 2 above, either of the following ID options can be used:

• Full UK birth certificate (A4 size original , not photocopy, containing mother and fathers details)

• Letter from head teacher or college principal, confirming you are a student and containing your name, current address and date of birth, PLUS either an official exam certificate in your name or a National Insurance number letter.

If you are unable to or have difficulty in providing the above evidence, please give us a call on 0208 934 3620 / 2549

Please ensure that you have read the Role Profile attached below.

You will be contacted by the Volunteering Services Team via email. Please ensure that you check your email account regularly.

Kingston Hospital NHS Trust has four key values and we want to ensure that our volunteers share these values and demonstrate behaviours that support them. They are:

• Caring - Displaying empathy, compassion, dignity and respect to patients, staff and volunteers.
• Safe - Make the safety of patients, staff and volunteers our prime concern as safety comes first
• Responsible - All staff and volunteers take responsibility for the hospital, its services and reputation
• Value Each Other - Value each others' contribution

Kingston Hospital NHS Trust is committed to safeguarding children and adults who are at risk of abuse. As such, if the appointee to this post will have access to children or vulnerable adults, he/she will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure Barring Service check.

However, all employees have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in the course of their duties and for ensuring that they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

• Compassionate Friends Role Profile (PDF, 848.6KB)
• Onboarding roadmap (PDF, 91.1KB)