A-level enrichment programme

The first week is an induction week to help students settle in to the hospice environment.

After the induction week, the students are split into two groups. Each group spends five weeks based in the hospice’s kitchen followed by five weeks in one of the hospice’s wellbeing 'Check in and Chat' sessions (or vice versa).

In the kitchen, they will help deliver food & drinks to patients within the Inpatient unit and spend time talking with them.

In the wellbeing 'Check in and Chat' session, they will talk to group members and take part in the group activities. The students often progress to planning and running their own activities or quizzes.

Each week the students also take part in a ‘group talk’ session, where staff from different teams in the hospice explain more about their role. This helps the students learn about the full range of hospice services. 

For the final week of the programme, each group is asked to prepare a presentation about:

• their perception of the hospice before starting the programme
• what they did during the programme
• what they learnt
• how their perception of the hospice has changed.

This presentation is given to the members of staff who have worked with them over the 12 weeks, members of the hospice’s senior leadership team and trustees, and representatives from their school.

The first cohorts were mainly for students who are considering medical careers, but now the hospice is hosting students with a range of career aspirations. This gives more students an overview the many types of skills and roles that operate within a hospice setting.

The school recognises that by volunteering at the hospice, its students are gaining a range of transferable skills. Because this is a structured programme, students can use it to boost their CV and build a portfolio of work experience.

Students have reported that being able to talk about what they learnt through volunteering at the hospice helped them during university interviews.

One cohort enjoyed the placement so much that they asked to come back to the hospice for a second term! They were given a slightly different programme, spending time in the hospice’s shops. They were also set a ‘£50 challenge’ (they received £50 and had 12 weeks to turn it into as much money as possible for the hospice).

Another volunteer chose to return to the hospice for the summer after completing his A-levels, volunteering in the eBay team.

Hospice patients and staff all enjoy interacting with these enthusiastic young people and building relationships with them.

By giving the students a positive experience of hospice care, Wirral St John’s hopes that they will be able to act as young ambassadors.

A number of students have gone on to fundraise for the hospice and several say they are telling their friends and family about hospice care.

In the future, it is possible that some of the students might even come back to the hospice as an adult volunteer or consider a career in palliative care. 

Wirral St John's Hospice won the poster competition at Hospice UK’s National Conference in 2023.