Understanding the role of the volunteer in specialist palliative care: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies

Table 3 Theme clusters found in the synthesis

Theme cluster	Sub themes
Distinctness of the volunteer role	Distinct role from that of staff
	Specific volunteer roles: professional-like; go-between; advocate/mediator; teamwork; surrogate; relationship roles
Characteristics of the role	Social nature of the role
	Providing support
	Just being there
	Just listening
	Keeping patients happy
Volunteer experience of the role	Ambiguity, flexibility and informality
	Staff restrict information
	Staff control the volunteer role

ISSN: 1472-684X