Volunteer Agreement | Festivalmedical

Festival Medical Services - Volunteer Agreement

This Volunteer Agreement describes the arrangement between Festival Medical Services (FMS) and its volunteers. FMS recognises the valuable role volunteers play in supporting the charity to accomplish its objectives in the most effective manner.

This agreement is binding code of conduct and is not intended that any employment relationship be created between FMS and a volunteer. The relationship between the organisation and its’ members is entirely voluntary and does not imply or create any contract of services or for services between FMS and a member.

Members can expect Festival Medical Services to provide:

Induction and training
To provide wherever possible an induction on FMS, its staff, your volunteering role and the event where it is required;
To ensure that all our procedures and standards are accessible
Supervision, support and flexibility
To provide you with a named person who will contact you to discuss the role that you are volunteering for.
To do our best to help you develop your volunteering role with us;
To explain the standards, we expect for our services and to encourage and support you to achieve and maintain them.
To keep you updated on the work of the organisation, its charitable objectives and opportunities for volunteering.

Expenses:

FMS is committed to maximising its charitable donations but recognises that some personal costs may be incurred in the course of volunteering for the charity. It will therefore make a contribution towards pre-approved expenses incurred as part of a volunteering role dependant on the event in accordance with the FMS expenses policy enforced from time to time. Further information is provided at the end of this document.

A commitment to Health and Safety:

To provide adequate training and feedback in support of our health and safety policy. FMS reserves the right not to accept any volunteer at an event where a risk assessment indicates it is unsuitable to do so, (see document folder).

Insurance:

To provide adequate insurance cover for volunteers whilst carrying out their volunteering roles which have been approved and authorised by FMS. Please note that our current insurers advise that our cover does not allow anyone with a drink driving conviction (even if it is spent) to drive an FMS vehicle.

Equal Opportunities:

To ensure that all volunteers are dealt with in accordance with our equal opportunities policy, (see document folder).

Protection of volunteer data:

FMS will not disclose volunteers’ personal details without their permission for any other purpose than conducting FMS business and event management. FMS will abide by the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulations 2018 and the Data Protection Act 2018 and any other legislation related to the processing and protection of your information.

All FMS members must abide by the FMS Data Protection Policy. Further information on how we use your data can be found in the FMS Privacy Notice, (see document folder).

No guarantee of attendance at events:

Being a member of festival medical services does not guarantee a place to volunteer at any specific event, all applications are considered on the grounds of qualifications and availability to volunteer at events throughout the year. Equally FMS is not able to guarantee attendance at any event, solely on the basis of previous attendance.

Festival Medical Services requires from its Volunteers:

To perform your volunteering role to the best of your ability and in line with the recognised professional standard applicable to your profession.

Owing to the unique nature of the services we provide, FMS volunteers will often operate under their own authority, and with minimal supervision. Furthermore, they will occasionally be called upon to work with patients who are, for one reason or another, incapable of giving express consent to treatment. Therefore, in order to comply with our legal obligations, it is essential that anyone applying to work with us as a medical practitioner e.g. Doctor/Nurse/Paramedic has a current full registration with the relevant UK professional body e.g. GMC/NMC/HCPC. In addition to this, certain groups of prospective staff will be required to undergo an Enhanced DBS check, including both adult and child barred lists, which is provided free of charge by the charity.

That all volunteers follow the organisation’s procedures and standards, including health and safety and data protection, records keeping and equal opportunities, in relation to its staff, volunteers and clients. Failure to do so may result in membership being terminated.

To comply with legislation and maintain the health, safety and wellbeing of FMS volunteers, the Risk Management Team in consultation with coordinators of functions and teams have written risk assessments which are now published on the members’ website. It is the duty of FMS volunteers to make themselves familiar with these risk assessments. It is also the responsibility of members to make their coordinator aware of any condition that may require additional safety measures such as existing hearing damage or tinnitus, pregnancy and illness or injury.

Volunteering and working at a festival, carries an obligation to comply with the risk assessment related to your role and you must advise your coordinator of any conditions as stated above.

Volunteers who are subject to the standards of performance laid down by professional bodies, for example Nursing and Midwifery Council, the Health and Care Professions Council etc, are advised that FMS has a duty to report serious instances of substandard performance to the appropriate body. The volunteer will be notified of such action in conjunction with the Clinical Director.

Members are not permitted to volunteer with FMS during any period of certified sickness or suspension from your regular employment.

Volunteers have a duty of care to ensure that any equipment supplied or used by them while providing services on behalf of FMS is fit for purpose and compliant with current laws, regulations and the appropriate standards. Responsibility for ensuring such equipment complies with this policy lies with the volunteer. The volunteer will be held personally liable for any claims arising from injury or damage resulting from the use of his/her own equipment.

Volunteers must disclose to FMS Management any matter that could give cause to the mutual trust and confidence between a volunteer and the organisation being affected. Examples of these matters include but are not limited to:

Fraud;
Deliberate falsification of records;
Theft;
Convictions;
Unacceptable treatment of and behaviour towards other members, patients or by-standers;

If your fitness to practise is called into question:

Under the General Data Protection Regulations 2018 and Data Protection Act 2018, all volunteers who have access to personal information (about members or patients) are required to adhere strictly to the legal requirements for processing data and maintenance of confidentiality. In particular, this means that personal information must not be passed on to any person who is not authorised to receive that information.

Information you may come across relating to patients’ records, diagnosis, treatment, member records, information concerning contracts or other commercially sensitive matters that are considered to be confidential must not be divulged to any third parties without prior written consent from the organisation.

Under the terms of this agreement you are required to adhere to the requirements of General Data Protection Regulations 2018 the Data Protection Act 2018 and agree to the processing of your own personal information by Festival Medical Services.

Your data will be used in accordance with the Festival Medical Services Privacy Notice and processed only for the purposes of conducting Festival Medical Services Business which includes but is not limited to HR and Event Management. As a member the organisation has a responsibility to keep you informed about the charity, events and changes to the membership agreements. No information concerning any volunteer will be divulged without prior written consent of the volunteer. Further information concerning Data Protection and how information is used is contained in the Festival Medical Services Privacy Notice which can be found on Festival Medical Services Website and if in doubt ask the Information Governance Manager, (see document folder).

By agreeing to this Volunteer Agreement, you are mandated to adhere to the FMS Data Protection Policy. (see document folder). A breach of these requirements will be investigated and may result in disciplinary action which could result in your dismissal.

Further you agree:

To meet the time commitments and standards which have been mutually agreed to and to give reasonable notice, so other arrangements can be made when this is not possible;
To maintain proper clinical records of all treatments and to deliver care within your own scope of practice.
To accept responsibility for the behaviour of any guests you bring to an event.
To adherer to our Social Media policy. (see document folder)

We want you to help protect our business reputation. Volunteers must not post disparaging or defamatory statements about:

Festival Medical Services; its staff, clients, volunteers or members past or present;
Suppliers and vendors
Other affiliates and stakeholders
Volunteers should also avoid social communications that might be misconstrued in a way that could damage our business reputation, even indirectly.
That you do not engage with any media organisation on any Festival Medical Services related matter without prior agreement of the Managing Director, Operations Director or Chair of the Board.
To ensure that your actions will not bring FMS into disrepute.

Under the Articles membership will be terminated if:

(a) the member dies or, if it is an organisation, ceases to exist,

(b) the member resigns by written notice to the Charity unless, after the resignation, there would be less than two members,

(d) the member is removed from membership by a resolution of the Directors that it is in the best interests of the Charity that his or her membership is terminated. A resolution to remove a member from membership may only be passed if

(i) the member has been given at least twenty-one days' notice in writing of the meeting of the Directors at which the resolution will be proposed and the reasons why it is to be proposed;

(ii) the member or, at the option of the member, the member's representative (who need not be a member of the Charity) has been allowed to make representations to the meeting

This agreement is binding in honour only and it is not intended that any employment relationship be created between Festival Medical Services and any volunteer.

Resolving Problems:

The relationship between Festival Medical Services and its volunteers is entirely voluntary and should be a positive experience however we recognise that sometimes things can go wrong. For example, a volunteer may have a concern about the way the organisation approaches atopic or it may be that for whatever reason a volunteer’s performance is not as expected. The following section explains how these concerns will be dealt with.

FMS will not tolerate inappropriate behaviour and we rely on our members to be vigilant about each other’s behaviour and report any concerns.

Concerns raised by a volunteer:

Concerns, whether against a member of staff, the organisation or another volunteer, should be raised with your Co-ordinator or Manager who will engage with you as soon as is possible to understand the concern and to explore potential routes to resolution. In most cases it expected that an immediate response can be provided that enables the matter to be closed but where this is not possible the concern will be investigated, and a decision made whether to uphold the concern or not. This decision will then be fed back to you.

If the concern is about the Co-ordinator or Manager, then it should be raised in the first instance with a senior manager (MD, OD, CD or FD) who will appoint an independent member of the organisation to hear your concerns.

If for whatever reason you feel your concerns have not been resolved at this first step you may appeal the decision by writing to the Managing Director who will arrange for the appeal to be investigated. Any decision made at this point will be final. FMS recognises that raising any concern can be a difficult process and therefore you may wish to be supported by a fellow FMS colleague at any meeting that is held.

Complaints raised about a volunteer

There are three areas where it may be necessary to raise a concern with a volunteer:

Capability – a volunteer’s ability to undertake the role
Performance – how well a volunteer is performing the role
Conduct – a volunteer’s behaviour whilst volunteering for FMS
In most cases regardless of the issue being raised it is hoped that an appropriate way forward can be found through discussing the matter with the volunteer in an informal manner. It is expected this approach would be done verbally, ideally face to face and as soon as possible after the issue has been raised. This discussion either with your Co-ordinator or Manager will include details of the concern, how it was identified, what the impact is and therefore why it is a concern. You will then be given an opportunity to state your case. It is expected that this discussion will be sufficient to enable the matter to be resolved in a positive and productive manner. The Co-ordinator or Manager will provide a written summary of the discussion once it has been completed as well any deadline for reviewing the situation.
Festival Medical Services recognise that sometimes there may be external factors influencing a volunteer’s ability to carry out tasks, their behaviour or their attitude and will work with the volunteers to understand the impact of these factors when identifying the resolution.

Unfortunately, there may be occasions where a more formal approach is required in order to address an issue.

Examples of such issues could include (but are not limited to):

Non-attendance at an event without adequate notice or good reason;
Failure to maintain the required standard of record keeping;
Repeated cases of below standard performance;
Fraud;
Deliberate falsification of records;
Physical Violence (or threat of);
Theft;
Being under the influence of illegal drugs or alcohol while working;
Bullying or harassment;
Bringing the reputation of FMS into disrepute;
Serious negligence, which causes, or may cause, unacceptable loss, damage or injury;
Acts of gross insubordination;
Indecency or acts of a sexual nature.
In such instances your Coordinator or Manager will advise you formally of the nature of the concern at the earliest opportunity and an investigation undertaken to establish the full picture. You will be invited to a meeting where the investigation findings will be presented and given the opportunity to state your case before a final decision is made. Notes of all meetings and decisions will be taken by the Coordinator or Line Manager and retained by HR. The HR Manager (or a nominated person) will support all stages of the formal process if required.
It may not always be possible to conclude the investigation while an event is underway. Where this is the case and depending on the severity of the complaint FMS may ask the volunteer to leave the event with immediate effect and they will not be permitted to return. The investigation will then be concluded once the event has finished. The decision to remove a volunteer will be made by the volunteer’s Manager and the FMS Event lead. Examples of where such a decision might be appropriate are listed below for guidance and where the volunteer’s behaviour or action –
Breaks the law,
Is prohibited by the event organisers,
Needs to be reported to the professional body,
Leads FMS to believe there may be further conflict with volunteers / patients / client.
We will endeavour to conclude any investigation into a complaint within 2 weeks of it being made.

There are three possible outcomes to a formal complaint:

1. No action to be taken;

2. A final warning may be issued. When deciding whether a warning should be issued consideration will be given to the severity of the complaint and also whether FMS is able to satisfy itself that the appropriate level of performance can be attained within a reasonable period of time.

3. A recommendation is made to the board that the volunteer’s membership will be terminated.

Opportunity to appeal:

In the event that either a written warning is issued or a recommendation that the volunteer services be terminated there will be an opportunity to appeal. All appeals should be made in writing to the HR Manager who will nominate a manager to hear the appeal. Any decision made at this stage will be final.

Expenses:

FMS is committed to maximising its charitable donations and in line with this strives to keep running costs to a minimum, but it is recognised that volunteers do incur expenses in supporting the work of the charity.

FMS is unable to offer full reimbursement, but a contribution to some expenses may be claimable. Volunteers are encouraged to consider donating their expenses back to the charity if they are in a position to do so. In doing so it would increase the amount that FMS if this is done by using Gift Aid Declaration Form below.

The following table gives details of expenses currently claimable:

Meals (where not provided) £5 per 8 hour shift/ £10 for a 12 hour shift
General expenses contribution (£20 per shift) claimable at all events (excludes Glastonbury Festival)
Approved training courses - Travel from home to course venue and return 25p per mile or second-class public transport. Lift-sharing is encouraged
Reimbursed for pre-approved courses where the volunteer pays for training but not when it is funded by FMS
Course fees & materials - subject to prior approval by either the Managing Director, Operations Director or Chair of Trustees
Attending meetings on approved FMS business (e.g. Trustees, Managers, and Coordinators Meetings) (NOT AGM) 25p per mile or second-class public transport Lift-sharing is encouraged
When participating in a meeting or attending / delivering an approved training course (excludes FREC or other core training) that is held on consecutive days, overnight accommodation can be claimed with prior approval, and on production of a receipt (subject to maximum of £75 per night).

Note: please your vehicle insurance must cover business use if you intend to claim a mileage allowance:

Miscellaneous expenses:

Subject to prior approval by either the Managing Director, Operations Director or Chair of Trustees

Coordinators, Managers & Trustees:

Postage, stationery, phone etc - claims must be validated by receipt

Festival Medical Services Gift Aid declaration – for past, present and future donations:

Please treat as Gift Aid donations all qualifying gifts of money made today in the past 4 years and in the future. Please tick all boxes you wish to apply. I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for each tax year (6 April to 5 April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities or Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for that tax year.

I understand that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify. I understand the charity will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I give.

Donor’s details

Title _________ First name or initial(s) ________________________________________

Surname________________________________________________________________

Full home address________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

Postcode _____________________

Date ____________________________________ Signature _____________________________________

Please notify the Festival Medical Services administrator if you:

• Want to cancel this declaration
• Change your name or home address
• No longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains.
• If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self-Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code.

Privacy Statement: (see document folder).

The organisation has a responsibility to keep you informed about the charity, events and changes to the membership agreements. We will therefore use your data only for the above purpose, in line with the General Data Protection Regulation, (see document folder).