Volunteering Opportunities

Welcome to our volunteering opportunities webpage!

This is where you can read about all the volunteering roles available across NHS Lothian. Whether you are looking to volunteer at a large hospital or would prefer to volunteer at a smaller community hospital, we have you covered.

Please use the dropdowns below to find out information about the sites you can volunteer at across NHS Lothian and the roles available at each site. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that there are sites close to your home/work/school that you were not aware of! To find out all about the different tasks and activities you can get involved in as a volunteer, you can download the role descriptions available at each site too.

Got question? Check out our volunteering FAQs page which answers some of the most commonly asked questions about volunteering with us.

Please note that to volunteer with us you need to:

Be aged 16 or over (for some roles this is 18 or over)
Be able to make a regular weekly commitment for two or more hours a week at the same time and day each week (exception of Bridge Builder volunteers)
Volunteer with us for a minimum of six months
Receive and share with us satisfactory appropriate clearance from Disclosure Scotland (this is completed by us as part of your application, you do not need to pay for this yourself)
Where applicable receive occupational health clearance for agreed role
Actively participate and engage in our volunteer induction training

Current Hospital Based Volunteering Opportunities

Our volunteer recruitment will open from Monday 12th January 2026 until Thursday 22nd January 2026 for volunteer roles across the following locations:

Midlothian Community Hospital

This hospital provide rehabilitation (over 60s), continuing care of frail elderly, palliative/end of life care, dementia care, and mental health care. Ward Helper volunteers are needed to support the wards in the following ways: chat to patients to provide mental stimulation and reduce boredom; serve teas and coffees to patients; top up patients’ water jugs; distribute food and assist patients at mealtimes; support the cleaning up of dishes and cutlery; interact with patient visitors; help out with any ad-hoc tasks on the ward as directed by staff.

We are particularly looking for volunteers to support us in the evenings (4 – 6pm or 5 – 7pm). Applicants who are available at these times will be prioritised initially before other offers of support are considered.

Roles available: 15

Interviews and training

Before applying for any of these roles, please ensure that you can attend one of the following group interview sessions and one of the subsequent training events.

All sessions will be held in person at Midlothian Community Hospital.

Interview sessions
Wednesday 11^th February 10.30am – 12.30pm

Thursday 12^th February 10.30am – 12.30pm

Training event
Tuesday 17^th February – 3pm – 5pm

Wednesday 18^th February – 1pm – 3pm

If you have any questions prior to applying, please contact Denise.Claxton@nhs.scot

East Lothian Community Hospital

The East Lothian Community Hospital (ELCH) is a three-story hospital based on the grounds of the former Roodlands hospital site in Haddington. The hospital has 6 inpatient wards and a busy outpatients department. The wards have a variety of specialities including supporting people living with dementia and mental illness, orthopaedic rehabilitation, medicine of the elderly, step down care and palliative care. Ward Helper volunteers are needed to support the wards in the following ways: chat to patients to provide mental stimulation and reduce boredom; serve teas and coffees to patients; top up patients’ water jugs; distribute food to patients at mealtimes; support the cleaning up of dishes and cutlery; interact with patient visitors; help out with any ad-hoc tasks on the ward as directed by staff.

We are particularly looking for volunteers to support us in the morning (10am – 1pm) on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesday and the evening (4 – 6pm or 5 – 7pm) Monday – Sunday. Applicants who are available at these times will be prioritised initially before other offers of support are considered.

Roles available: 15

Interviews and training

Before applying for any of these roles, please ensure that you can attend one of the following group interview sessions and one of the subsequent training events.

All sessions will be held in person at East Lothian Community Hospital.

Interview sessions
Tuesday 3^rd February, 10.30am – 12.30pm

Wednesday 4^th February, 2.30pm – 4.30pm

Training event

Tuesday 10^th February, 10am – 1pm

Wednesday 11^th February, 1pm – 4pm

If you have any questions prior to applying, please contact Laura.Wark@nhs.scot

Royal Hospital for Children and Young People

If you are interested in volunteering with children and younger people, the following roles are now being recruited to at RHCYP:

Play Volunteer
This role is available during the day, Monday to Friday, and involves supporting members of the Play Team staff in the wards. Play Volunteers also help to keep the play areas tidy and interact with patients and their families.
Roles available: 5

Ward Visitor
This role is available on evenings and weekends and involves visiting patients in the wards to offer interaction. This might mean having a chat, playing a game, or reading. Ward Visitors can also provide family members the opportunity to have some respite from being on the ward.
Roles available: 10

A&E Volunteer
This role is available on weekday and weekend afternoons/evenings. The volunteer will be situated in the A&E department where they will spend time chatting with patients and families, engage patients in play activities, and support ward staff with duties such as distributing drinks.
Roles available: 5

Outpatient Department Helper
This role involves creating a welcoming atmosphere for patients and families attending the outpatient department. The volunteer will also provide support an interaction for patients whilst they are waiting for their appointments and help keep play areas tidy.
Roles available: 1 (Friday mornings 10am – 12pm)

Welcome Guide
This role involves providing a friendly welcome to patients and visitors coming into the hospital. Welcome Guides also provide directions to the relevant departments/wards, and escort people where required (this can include pushing someone in a wheelchair).
Roles available: 2 (Mondays 1pm – 3pm, Fridays 1pm – 3pm)

Interviews and training

Before applying for any of these roles, please ensure that you can attend one of the following group interview sessions and the subsequent training event.

Interview session (option 1)
Thursday 29^th January, 3pm – 5pm

Interview session (option 2)
Friday 30^th January, 3pm – 5pm

Training event
Friday 6^th February, 2:30pm – 5pm

If you have any questions prior to applying, please contact: ross.lamb@nhs.scot.

Edinburgh Community Hospitals / Department of Clinical Neuroscience

If you are interested in volunteering with adults at one of the Edinburgh community hospitals or in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience (DCN), the following roles are available:

Findlay Community Hospital (East Edinburgh, EH6 7LN)
This site has two wards and provides care for patients who are 65 years old and over. One of the wards is a dementia care unit. We are looking for Meaningful Activity Volunteers during the day and Ward Visitors on evenings and weekends.
Roles available: 5

Ellen’s Glen Community Hospital (South Edinburgh, EH16 6FF)
This site has two wards and provides care for patients who are 65 years old and over. One of the wards is a palliative care/end of life ward. We are looking for Meaningful Activity Volunteers during the day and Ward Visitors on evenings and weekends.
Roles available: 5

Department of Clinical Neuroscience
This department is a 3-ward adult service within the Children’s Hospital building. It provides neurology and neuro-surgical services. We are recruiting Ward Helpers to support the wards across the day as well as evenings and weekends.
Roles available: 10

Interviews and training

Before applying for any of these roles, please ensure that you can attend one of the following group interview sessions and the subsequent training event.

Interview session (option 1)
Thursday 12^th February, 3pm – 5pm

Interview session (option 2)
Friday 13^th February, 3pm – 5pm

Training event
Friday 20^th February, 2:30pm – 5pm

If you have any questions prior to applying, please contact: ross.lamb@nhs.scot.

Opportunities to take part in Clinical Research Trials

Our Clinical Infection Research Group (CiRG) facilitates research studies for a range of common UK infections e.g., flu and COVID. Many of these studies require volunteers aged 18-99 to take part for example in testing different interventions, e.g., vaccines or sharing experiences.

For more information about taking part in clinical research trials you can email CiRG at Loth.CIRGregister@nhs.scot or you can find out more at www.cirg-edinburgh.co.uk

Volunteering Opportunities with our Third Sector Partners

Within this space we will share the details of any of our third sector charity partners who are recruiting to volunteering roles which are based within or as part of NHS Lothian services or buildings.

Volunteer with RNID’s Near You Service

Volunteers supporting RNID will make a valuable difference to people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus. Any contribution you make as a volunteer, no matter how small, can have a big impact on the people we support in communities across Edinburgh & Lothians.

To find out more about their current opportunities with the Near You service follow the link below:

RNID Near You volunteer, Lothians/Edinburgh – RNID

Volunteer at the Children’s Hospital with Radio Lollipop

One in four children are admitted to a hospital before reaching age 14.

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Radio Lollipop believes in the healing power of play – providing smiles and laughter to children at a time when they need it most. Though some patients are short-stay, many have a recurring need for care and return repeatedly to hospital. Some who are terminally ill spend much of their short lives in hospital. Radio Lollipop gives young patients a voice and a choice during their stay. While they can´t say “no” to taking their medicine or receiving treatment, they can request their favourite songs, win prizes and hear their own voices on the radio. Those activities give youngsters a haven of normality in the hospital day which in other respects is strange, different and often scary. Each Radio Lollipop Volunteer must be aged 18 or older and able to give a commitment of 2 hours per week of interactive play with children using a comprehensive range of fun and interactive activities developed over the years by Radio Lollipop.

A broadcast radio studio is part of the armory of activities in our “toy box” and is provided at most of the hospitals where the Radio Lollipop service operates, providing a unique child-orientated programme of interactive competitions, music, stories and games.

If you want to be part of the magic that is Radio Lollipop and putting Play In Place of Pain for children spending time in hospital, come along to one of our volunteer information days at Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, Ground Floor, Out Patients, 50 Little France Crescent Edinburgh EH16 4TJ on:

Sunday 25 January 2026, from 2pm to 4pm.

Alternatively visit us at Radio Lollipop – Play In Place Of Pain or email us at vcnew.edinburgh@radiolollipop.org.