GardenerNHS
Job summary
As a Gardener at Southern Hospices Group, you will play a vital part in creating welcoming, peaceful outdoor environments that offer comfort, reflection, and calm for patients, families, and staff. Our hospice grounds offer an exceptionally varied and rewarding working environment, from propagation and growing in the polytunnel to caring for kitchen gardens, wildflower meadows, woodland walks, wildlife ponds, private contemporary patient gardens, and large open green spaces. Every area you maintain contributes directly to wellbeing, giving a real sense of job satisfaction and pride in your work.
Main duties of the job
You will carry out a diverse range of horticultural and grounds maintenance activities, working flexibly both on your own and alongside other gardeners to maintain high standards across the hospice grounds. By ensuring compliance with health, safety, and environmental requirements, your work will have a visible and meaningful impact every day.
The role also offers the rewarding opportunity to work alongside volunteers and corporate groups, sharing your knowledge and skills to help others contribute positively to the hospice environment. Your guidance will ensure these activities are safe, well organised, and fulfilling for everyone involved.
If you take pride in your work, enjoy working outdoors, and want to be part of something genuinely meaningful, this role offers a rewarding blend of responsibility, creativity, and purpose.
Job description
Maintaining garden sheds / workshops and all tools and machinery keeping tidy and safe at all time. Ability to carry out a full range of horticultural and grounds maintenance tasks independently, without the need for supervision or ongoing guidance. Ensure compliance with health and safety regulations. Identify and treat pests, diseases, and plant health issues. Carry out maintenance of lawns, flower and vegetable gardens, including watering, fertilizing, and caring for trees, shrubs, turf, and associated hard landscaping features such as irrigation systems and water features. Managing teams of volunteers and corporate groups on a weekly basis and ensuring guidance and support is adequately provided. Work with external suppliers. Work within agreed plans and legislative requirements as may be in place. Carry out and accurately record grounds compliance checks, including daily and monthly playground inspections and routine water feature treatments. Reporting and updating to the Grounds Manager of any progression or issues. Work collaboratively with team members and follow instructions from senior staff. Assisting teams of volunteers and corporate groups on a weekly basis and ensuring guidance and support is adequately provided. Lead volunteer and corporate group sessions by delivering safety talks, task briefings, and providing ongoing practical supervision to ensure work is carried out safely and to the required standard. Prepare work areas, tools, materials, working with grounds manager to plan tasks in advance, ensuring all required paperwork for corporate group days is accurate, complete, and in place prior to visits. Work closely with the Corporate Fundraising team to coordinate activities, timings, and site requirements, acting as the on-site point of contact to help ensure corporate group days run smoothly. Accurately record and update volunteer attendance and hours on the hospice volunteer database on a weekly basis.
About us
Southern Hospice Group is the largest group of hospices in Sussex and one of the largest in the UK. We are committed to providing exceptional and compassionate care to adults, children and their families across Sussex. Bringing our teams and resources together as one organisation means we can focus on new and exciting visions and plans for our people and patients and provide even greater opportunities for our workforce.
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