Volunteer Gardener MSK Queen Marys Hospital | Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust


Company:	Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Salary:	Voluntary Role
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Sidcup, DA14 6LT
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	3 Sept 2026
Closing date:	3 Oct 2026

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Summary

We have a medium size courtyard and are in the process of developing this into a therapeutic space so that service users with long term conditions can use the space to access peer support, and as part of their rehabilitation. We are looking for a volunteer gardener to help with the general upkeep of the Therapy Garden. This could include independent gardening as well as working with service users to support them in the space i.e. seed sowing for summer with a group of service users.

We are really hoping that the garden can be a lovely therapeutic space for service users living with long term pain and that we can support them to live happier and healthier lives by accessing a green space.

A volunteer would provide invaluable support:

· Help maintain planted areas and internal courtyards, with regular planting, weeding, and mulching.

· Create wildlife habitats, such as insect hotels, bird boxes.

· Help plant seeds and bulbs and provide aftercare.

· Monitor butterflies, pollinators, plants and other wildlife

· Encourage and inspire others to use the garden space

· Report any concerns, issues to the service manager

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

• We’re Kind

• We’re

• We Listen

• We Care

A volunteer would provide invaluable support:

· Help maintain planted areas and internal courtyards, with regular planting, weeding, and mulching.

· Create wildlife habitats, such as insect hotels, bird boxes.

· Help plant seeds and bulbs and provide aftercare.

· Monitor butterflies, pollinators, plants and other wildlife

· Encourage and inspire others to use the garden space

· Report any concerns, issues to the service manager

This advert closes on Thursday 17 Sep 2026

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About Disability Confident

Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.