Volunteer PAT Dog (Tolworth)

South West London & St George's Mental Health NHS Trust; City Of London; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A Mental Health Trust in the UK seeks a PAT Dog Volunteer to provide companionship and emotional support in mental health wards. This role requires a registered therapy dog and prior experience as a PAT volunteer. It offers a chance to make a difference in the lives of individuals facing mental health challenges and provides valuable experience for future career opportunities.

Benefits

Training in key areas such as Safeguarding, Health and Safety.

Pathway to Bank positions.

Qualifications

• Prior experience as a PAT volunteer is essential.
• Up-to-date vaccinations and insurance for your dog are required.
• A compassionate approach to working with mental health challenges is necessary.

Responsibilities

• Visit inpatient wards with your registered therapy dog to offer companionship.
• Work alongside staff to ensure safe interactions with service users.
• Support group activities and encourage engagement.

Skills

Compassionate approach

Experience as a PAT volunteer

English language proficiency

Job description

Role Overview

Would you like to make a difference in the lives of people experiencing mental health challenges? Join us as a PAT Dog Volunteer and bring comfort, joy, and companionship to service users across our mental health wards. Your presence and interaction with your therapy dog can help reduce anxiety, promote emotional wellbeing, and support recovery.

Responsibilities

As a PAT Dog Volunteer, you'll visit inpatient wards with your registered therapy dog to offer companionship and emotional support to service users. You'll work alongside staff to ensure safe interactions, encourage engagement, and be mindful of your dog's wellbeing throughout each visit. You will also support group activities and offer encouragement to service users.

Qualifications

The role requires prior experience as a PAT volunteer, up-to-date vaccinations and insurance for your dog, and a compassionate approach to working with people experiencing mental health challenges. All public‑facing roles require a proportionate level of English language proficiency for written and verbal communication. The Trust is required to verify results of certain English language competency tests. If the fluency duty is met by the provision of a sign language interpreter, the interpreter should be registered with the NRCPD.

Career Progression and Development

We’re committed to supporting volunteers in achieving their career goals. This role offers a pathway into Bank positions and includes access to ongoing training in key areas such as Safeguarding, Health and Safety, and Equality and Diversity. Volunteering with us provides valuable experience that can support progression into paid employment, and we’re happy to provide references for volunteers who complete their volunteering.

Flexible Working

This role is flexible and will be scheduled on weekdays which is suitable for you. Volunteers must undergo reference and ID checks and complete mandatory training before starting the role which can take several months.

Volunteer

South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust has a rich history, well‑established community links and an international reputation. We provide a full range of local mental health services to the Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth London boroughs, as well as specialist forensic mental health services, including specialised services such as national deaf adults and CAMHS inpatients and OCD. We are committed to providing high quality integrated health and social care for local people with mental health problems in South West London and more specialist mental health services for people throughout the UK. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’ however we aim to be ‘outstanding’.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values; being consistent, compassionate, collaborative, respectful and open is at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is "making life better together". When you join us, you'll be part of something special – an innovative and rapidly growing organisation that is helping to redefine the mental health, education and social care landscape in the UK.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At South West London St Georges Mental Health Trust we are committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Committed Employer, and welcome applications from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We are Members of Stonewall Diversity Champions and Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion. As part of the Trust's commitment to Equalities and Diversity, the Trust supports the establishment of Staff Networks groups to promote diversity in the workplace:

• BME (Evolve) Staff Network
• Christian Staff Network
• DiverseAbility
• Deaf Staff Network
• Mental Health Staff Forum
• Women’s Staff Network
• LGBTQIA+

We are committed to supporting the Armed Forces Community and have signed the Armed Forces Covenant. We provide reasonable adjustments to the interview process for any candidates with a disability.

Application Process

Please note:

• That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should a sufficient number of applicants have been received
• That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a third‑party e‑recruitment system
• That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not been successful
• That priority consideration for applications may be given to at‑risk NHS employees
• That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter‑Authority Transfer (IAT) process
• That your employment is offered subject to successful completion of a Probationary Period depending on your Band (except medical roles)
• That we are a smoke‑free Trust

About our location

Tolworth Hospital, Surbiton. Tolworth is undergoing a major transformation to create modern facilities for five new wards, a central plaza, and a café. It's close to the A3, Tolworth station, and a short bus ride from Surbiton station, with fast connections to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo.