Volunteering
End of life volunteers answer your questions
Become an End of Life Volunteer
If you’re interested in becoming an end of life volunteer with one of the organisations we work with, fill out our form below and we will put you in touch with the most local service to you.
End of Life volunteers support people in some of the following ways:
- Sitting quietly by the bedside to reassure the patient they are not alone.
- Reading a favourite book to the patient or holding their hand for comfort.
- Staying with the patient to allow their loved ones or carers to take a break.
- Informing visitors about services available for families of people who are dying.
- Providing hot drinks and offering a listening ear to visitors.
- Advocating for the patient and liaising with staff to ensure their needs are met.
Why volunteer?
Learn new skills
You’ll learn new skills and have access to educational training with experienced professionals.
Be part of a team
You'll be part of a team of like-minded people who share the belief that no one should have to face the end of their life alone.
Do something meaningful
Make a difference to people at the end of their life and those closest to them.
Frequently Asked Questions
EOL Volunteers work within healthcare organisations to support patients at the end of their life, and those close to them.
They provide company and companionship to patients with life limiting conditions who may be in the last months, weeks, days or hours of life, and support and respite for their family and friends. They may be in a hospital ward, a hospice or in their own home – depending on the healthcare organisation you are volunteering for.
No previous experience is required, just a passion for making a difference to others.
This will depend on the healthcare organisation you are working with – but as a rule, you should expect to volunteer for one shift a week.
You will receive a generic induction to your healthcare organisation as one of their volunteers, including safeguarding, GDPR and health and safety.
You will then attend a specialist End of Life Volunteer training day, which will be run by your Project Manager/Volunteer Coordinator, and attended by a member of our team.
Ongoing training sessions will also be offered as you become more confident in the role.
There’s no difference.
We like to use the name Butterfly Volunteers because butterflies are thought to represent endurance, change and hope and are recognised as a symbol of palliative care.
Some of the healthcare organisations we work with choose to call their ‘end of life’ volunteers Butterflies; others prefer to use a different title.
But whether they are called Swans, Signets, Compassionate Companions or Butterflies, the role of these volunteers is largely the same.
Inspiring stories
“I enjoy my role as a Butterfly Volunteer because it has enabled me to give something back to this wonderful hospital I work in, in the form of comfort and compassion – not only to patients but also to their families. No-one should have to die alone and to be with someone in their final hours of life, who would otherwise have been alone, for me is an absolute privilege.”
Butterfly Volunteer
Princess Alexandra Hospital
“The Butterfly Companions supported a patient and his family while the patient's family went home to shower and change. Volunteers gave the patient a hand-crocheted blanket from the Friends of Royal Cornwall Hospital. His wife later shared that the blanket is now on her husband’s side of the bed at home. She really appreciated the volunteer support.”
Family member
Royal Cornwall Hospital
“When the patient's son had to go to work, I stayed and gave the patient a hand massage. I realised she spoke Sindhi, so I spoke it quietly to her. When I brushed her hair, she relaxed. Not long after the volunteer left, she died, having had a massage and her hair brushed. It is the small acts of kindness that make a difference.”
Butterfly Volunteer
Northwick Park Hospital