Garden Volunteer and projects Coordinator

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Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.

Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup.

We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 - the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.

To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone. You can read more about our visions and values here

Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as "good" or "outstanding" in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.

LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King's College London's GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.

We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Job overview

The University Hospital Lewisham (UHL) Wellbeing Garden was conceptualised during the COVID19 pandemic in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and now serves as a sanctuary for reflection, recovery and remembrance. It aims to provide a tranquil space, to support the wellbeing of the staff, patients and the wider community.

We are seeking a dedicated part time Garden Coordinator to support the garden volunteers and oversee the ongoing maintenance of the garden.

Please refer to the attached Job Description for a full description of duties, tasks and responsibilities as well as person specification.

Main duties of the job

Main Tasks, Duties and Responsibilities

Garden management and maintenance:
• Oversee the weekly gardening club at University Hospital Lewisham and support volunteers with the upkeep of the garden, including plant care, reporting of site safety and general maintenance issues and accessibility.
• Give advice on planting and maintenance to volunteers - supporting / oversight role. Source seeds, equipment and other resources. Provide advice to other Trust gardening developments

Volunteer coordination:
• Work with LGT Voluntary Services to register, train and manage a group of regular volunteers to assist with the gardening activities. Work alongside the already established gardening club to support and build on their existing skills.
• Coordinate demonstrations to Garden volunteers, to help them develop the appropriate skills, methods and techniques in gardening.

Working for our organisation

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
3. Improving the experience of staff with disability
4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
5. Making equalities mainstream

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Tasks, Duties and Responsibilities

Garden management and maintenance:
• Oversee the weekly gardening club and support volunteers with the upkeep of the garden, including plant care, reporting of site safety and general maintenance issues and accessibility.
• Give advice on planting and maintenance to volunteers - supporting / oversight role. Source seeds, equipment and other resources. Provide advice to other Trust gardening developments.

Volunteer coordination:
• Work with LGT Voluntary Services to register, train and manage a group of regular volunteers to assist with the gardening activities. Work alongside the already established gardening club to support and build on their existing skills.
• Person specification

Qualifications and Training

Essential criteria

• Good standard of secondary education including GCE/GCSE English or equivalent
• NVQ level 4 or equivalent experience (E.g Practical Horticultural qualification such as RHS plus relevant experience)

Experience

Essential criteria

• Significant demonstrable plant knowledge/experience in practical garden maintenance.
• A sound understanding of plant pest and disease management.
• Experience of working in a diverse team including volunteers.
• Experience of Community Gardening.
• Experience of co-ordinating and supervising volunteers.
• Experience of successful project co-ordination.
• Able to work independently and as a member of a team.
• Experience of working building positive and effective relationships with colleagues at all levels, peers and volunteers.
• Significant experience of engaging with a wide range of key stakeholders both within and external to an organisation

Desirable criteria

• Managing/developing social media channels.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

• Excellent communication skills Proven ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines
• Methodical and well organised with excellent attention to detail
• Highly motivated self-starter, willing and able to act on own initiative, as well as work within a team
• Excellent interpersonal skills: rapport building, active listening.
• Leadership: able to collaborate with, motivate and influence others and direct them towards achieving objectives.
• Flexible and creative: able to modify approach and come up with innovative solutions to achieve objectives and improve the environment to meet the needs of the users
• Sound judgment: able to identify relevant information and make good decisions.
• Planning and organisation: able to identify, plan and implement appropriate actions
• Organisational skills and the ability to manage own time
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage with a diverse range of people

Desirable criteria

• Ability to motivate volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds
• Conflict resolution skills and the ability and willingness to offer pastoral support to volunteers

Personal Qualities and Skills

Essential criteria

• Friendly, enthusiastic outgoing personality
• Reliable and ability to use own initiative
• Flexible and adaptable to changing situations
• Good team worker
• Highly motivated, Willingness to develop skills and knowledge
• Highly organised and able to prioritise a varied workload

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working building positive and effective relationships with colleagues at all levels, peers and volunteers.
• Ability to motivate volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds

We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.

As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women's staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.

Please note, not all roles will meet the criteria for a skilled worker visa.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• Garden Volunteer and Projects Coordinator, JD (PDF, 852.1KB)
• Working at LGT (PDF, 4.2MB)
• Visa and Certificate of Sponsorship Information for Applicants (PDF, 3.8MB)
• Candidate Guidance on the use of AI (PDF, 3.8MB)
• Candidates Guidance on Applying (PDF, 175.2KB)