As the national NHS treatment backlog stands at 7.3m cases and with 107,000 vacant health service roles placing medics under intense pressure, campaigners say that super-charging the number of volunteers who take on specific tasks designed to improve the flow of patients through wards and clinics could be “transformative”.
The proposal, from national healthcare volunteering charity Helpforce, reflects the immense impact that volunteers collectively have on the health service - including 22-year-old Ella Perrin who has gifted hundreds of hours to support frontline staff.
And it comes as a new YouGov survey conducted for Helpforce has revealed that 23% of people across Yorkshire and the Humber would consider NHS volunteering.
Ella, a student at the University of Bradford, said: “Volunteering has been an amazing experience. The skills you learn, the people you meet, the feeling of making a difference — it all stays with you.”
Over 6,400 people already actively volunteer their time in NHS wards and clinics across Yorkshire and the North East, with many taking on non-clinical tasks such as collecting prescribed medication from hospital pharmacies for patients to take home, transporting blood samples from patients’ bedsides to on-site labs, or providing refreshments for patients and their families. The emphasis is on trained volunteers taking on basic tasks that alleviate pressure on doctors, nurses, and healthcare assistants – enabling medics to focus on delivering quality care.
In calling on the Government to launch “the biggest health volunteering recruitment drive since the pandemic”, Helpforce - which works with over a hundred NHS trusts across the country - including Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust - is backed by leading health organisations including NHS Providers and the Health Foundation.
Ella’s involvement with the NHS began when she was a shy 16-year-old living in Hull. She applied to be a volunteer at in stroke ward at her local hospital because she wanted to grow her confidence while helping people.
“I was nervous every week,” she remembers. “At that age, I didn’t really get many responsibilities — it was more making coffees or chatting to people if they wanted. I really enjoyed it.”
When she reached 18 and started a Clinical Science degree at the University of Bradford, Ella had set her sights on a career in the NHS as a Physician Associate. To get there, she realised she would need clinical experience, so through the university’s volunteering department, Ella spotted a role at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, supporting staff at Wrose Baby Clinic by weighing and measuring infants and providing information to parents. “I just applied straight away,” she says. “I knew this was the kind of experience I needed.”
From the beginning, Ella was well supported. She completed extensive training and shadowed staff to build her skills. “The staff were brilliant,” she says. “Anything I wasn’t sure about, or if there was a skill I wanted to improve, they were always there to help.
“Walking into that clinic for the first time, I was nervous and I had no idea what was going on. I wondered if I was cut out for it. But then, little by little, I started to grow in confidence.”
The feedback Ella received from families spurred her on. “Some parents told me that seeing me there every week made the clinic easier. They said it helped having a familiar face to talk to when everything else around them felt new. That’s been the best thing — knowing that I’ve genuinely helped,” she explained.
After graduating from university, Ella is about to begin postgraduate training as a Physician Associate – moving a step closer to her dream job. And her enthusiasm for volunteering has even inspired her proud mum, Alllison, to become a volunteer too – reading with schoolchildren to improve literacy.
The YouGov poll, which coincides with the launch of the Helpforce’s new ‘Giving Back, Transforming Care’ awareness campaign, highlighted that over two-thirds (67%) of people in Yorkshire and the Humber support the idea of a mass NHS volunteer recruitment drive.
Helpforce chief executive, Amerjit Chohan, said: “After years of deep-rooted system-level challenges, the NHS remains under intense pressure, despite the valiant efforts of its staff and legions of existing volunteers. Out in communities, people feel the effects of long waiting lists and stretched services. It’s clear from YouGov’s poll that a swathe of the public across Yorkshire is willing to step forward and do what they can to help – just like Ella did.
“We are calling on the Government to invest in the biggest health volunteering recruitment drive since the pandemic, with a focus on attracting people into roles that improve overall efficiency in clinics and wards – crucially leading to a reduction in the length of treatment waiting lists.
“YouGov’s poll reveals that 23% of people across Yorkshire and the Humber would consider volunteering for the NHS – equivalent to over one million individuals. Even if only two per cent could be enticed into volunteering roles that would result in NHS trusts across the region being bolstered by approximately 20,000 additional committed volunteers.”
Trained ‘response volunteer’ roles can involve ferrying prescribed medication and blood samples across NHS sites, as well as escorting patients needing diagnostic tests or x-rays, providing general refreshments for those receiving and giving care, and restocking cupboards with bedding supplies, aprons and masks.
Michelle Broady, Children’s Services Volunteer Coordinator, Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, said:“Ella has been an outstanding volunteer and her commitment to the baby clinic has been second to none. The role has enabled her to develop her skills in speaking and listening to service users, also the experience of being part of a clinical team.
“To watch how Ella has grown in confidence during her time volunteering has been amazing and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
Helpforce’s own research found that 86% of frontline NHS staff nationwide believe that support from trained volunteers improves the care they can provide – underlining that volunteers are not intended to replace healthcare professionals, but to instead complement them.
And the charity’s evidence suggests that for every 10,000 new NHS ‘response volunteers’ recruited nationwide, 1.1 million hours of annual efficiency gains can be achieved by the health service.
Daniel Elkeles, Chief Executive of NHS Providers, said: “Tens of thousands of highly motivated volunteers of all ages and from all walks of life already gift their time and talents to NHS trusts nationwide and there is growing evidence that they make a significant contribution – not only improving the experiences of patients receiving healthcare, but also in terms of enhancing the working lives of the health professionals they support.
“Forward-thinking NHS trusts no longer view volunteering programmes as a ‘nice-to-have’ and instead regard them as a strategic imperative. There would be clear merit in a high-profile, government-led recruitment drive.”
At a national level, the YouGov poll found that 18 to 24-year-olds showed particular enthusiasm for NHS volunteering, with a third of respondents in this age group (33%) indicating that they would consider signing-up – compared to 28% of 25 to 34-year-olds, 23% in the 35-54 bracket, and 21% of those aged 55 and over.
Dr Jennifer Dixon DBE, Chief Executive of the Health Foundation, said: “It’s fascinating to see that young adults seem to have the highest levels of appetite for NHS volunteering and heartening that so many of them want to do something practical to help others in need, as well as support the NHS which in turn can offer them so much.
“As well as those aged 18 to 24 having a great deal to offer the NHS as volunteers, exposing them to healthcare settings is likely to interest them in a career in the NHS – which could be hugely worthwhile for them, and boost the NHS workforce with young, committed talent.”
When asked what would motivate them to volunteer for the NHS, the top reasons given by those who took part in the survey (nationally) were: making a difference to someone’s life, giving back to the NHS, and gaining a sense of purpose.
And across demographics, not knowing what kind of NHS volunteer roles are available and uncertainty around how to apply for positions were cited as barriers to volunteering – though the biggest obstacle identified was ‘not being able to commit sufficient time’.
People interested in healthcare volunteering opportunities in their local area can visit the NHS Volunteering website.
