Volunteer Driver

Volunteer Driver

Posted for Denton Village Surgery Patient Group

Posted by Community Action Northants

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Denton Surgery Patients’ Group (DSPG) Is a group of volunteers whose aim is to improve the flow of information between the practice and its patients arriving at a beneficial understanding of how the Practice works the growing pressures imposed by the NHS, and the unprecedented demand since the Covid pandemic.

Do you live in our surgery catchment area or are you registered at Denton Village Surgery as a patient? If so, and you have some spare time and a vehicle to help people by driving them to medical appointments, then we would like to hear from you.

As a volunteer driver, you can give as much or as little time as you wish, no set hours or permanent commitments. Using your own vehicle to take patients to and from medical appointments from the 15 villages that are part of the Denton Village Surgery catchment. There is no lifting and only ambulatory patients are catered for (ambulatory, this includes the use of walkers but not wheelchairs).

Appointments can be at the surgery or any of the serving hospitals (NGH, Daventry, Kettering, Corby or other by special arrangement). Dental appointments are considered medical appointments.

Working hours are linked to hospital and GP appointment times, but this can include weekends as hospitals work to reduce waiting lists.  The Patient Group are happy to take on volunteers who wish to work only occasionally. Jobs are posted on a WhatsApp group, and volunteer drivers can choose to respond or not; there is no pressure to take on jobs.

Volunteers are paid per mile from home to home at 45p per mile and are reimbursed.  The co-ordinator and the patient work out the cost of any journey, and the driver is informed at the time of booking and acceptance. The patient pays the driver directly at the end of the journey.

All drivers will need to have a DBS (criminal record check) undertaken, and the Surgery patient group organises this at no cost to the volunteer. Some volunteer drivers give of their time and services for free and join in taking patients to the well being meetings. These are social events supported by the Social Prescribers. Talks and advice as well as tea and coffee are available, and it's a good opportunity to meet with other volunteers; there is often a quiz or other games too. 

Volunteers need to have access to or own a vehicle, and your vehicle would need to be suitably accessible.

The role is totally flexible, and whatever time you can give would be welcome.

Please contact us for a chat to find out more!

What skills do I need?

• Clean driving licence

• Use of own suitable transport

• Friendly and kind

• Empathy and understanding of people with physical disabilities, and varying degrees of need.