Transforming healthcare volunteering
Guided by our vision of a nation where volunteering is integral to healthcare at its very best, we partner with hundreds of UK healthcare organisations – from major hospital trusts to neighbourhood health initiatives – unleashing the power of volunteers to deliver measurable benefits for patients, staff, service users, and local communities.By providing unrivalled volunteering knowledge, data, and analysis to NHS and neighbourhood health partners, Helpforce has greatly extended its reach and impact – measurably improving the lives of more patients, more staff, and more volunteers.
Helpforce publishes 2025-26 Impact Report – highlighting healthcare volunteering’s growing influence
The report highlights the charity’s work with NHS trusts, hospices and community organisations on 74 volunteering initiatives that supported around 74,000 patients and involved more than 1,260 volunteers. It also outlines how the charity is helping to strengthen healthcare services through novel approaches to Neighbourhood Health, patient flow, workforce development and volunteering innovation.
Among the year’s key achievements was the formal recognition of volunteering within the NHS 10-Year Health Plan – a major milestone for the sector and one that reflects years of advocacy by Helpforce and its partners.
The report also details a year of growing external recognition for the charity, including winning a prestigious GSK Impact Award and an HSJ Partnership Award for its Volunteer to Career programme, which helps people gain experience and progress into healthcare employment.
Our services
Find out more about our services below.
Developing volunteering services
Our expert team takes organisations through a tried and tested consultation process – Adopt and Adapt – to establish volunteer services that tackle their organisational challenges, fit their situation, and optimise integration between health and community services.
Building future workforce
We help organisations build and maintain their workforces through our Helpforce Volunteer to Career programme™, which allows people to explore a career in health and care, while volunteering.
Evaluating volunteers' impact
We build robust assessments into all our partnership projects and can evaluate other volunteering services. We have built up a unique bank of over 230 evidence findings.
Sharing volunteering expertise through the Helpforce Network
The Helpforce Network is a free online peer community for professionals from statutory and voluntary sector organisations with an interest in volunteering in health and care. Members join the Network to share their knowledge, learn from their peers and find practical support and resources - helping them to improve their volunteering management practice.Case studies
Sandy's story
Celine's story
Alisha-Mae's story
Henry's story
Alisha-Mai lives in Telford with her family, including her older brother and younger sister. Her decision to volunteer was deeply shaped by personal experience — her mum, Sharon, has lived with cancer since the year after Alisha-Mai was born. Growing up with regular hospital visits gave Alisha-Mai a first-hand appreciation for the pressures healthcare staff face and the impact that extra support can have.
Henry’s mission to ‘give back’ began in 2023 when he was studying for his A levels. Since then Henry has clocked up a magnificent 266 hours of volunteering at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Sandy's story
Celine's story
Alisha-Mae's story
Henry's story
Case studies
Alisha-Mai lives in Telford with her family, including her older brother and younger sister. Her decision to volunteer was deeply shaped by personal experience — her mum, Sharon, has lived with cancer since the year after Alisha-Mai was born. Growing up with regular hospital visits gave Alisha-Mai a first-hand appreciation for the pressures healthcare staff face and the impact that extra support can have.
Henry’s mission to ‘give back’ began in 2023 when he was studying for his A levels. Since then Henry has clocked up a magnificent 266 hours of volunteering at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Our partners
We collaborate with diverse organisations across the healthcare system, from Integrated Health Boards and individual NHS Trusts, to local community organisations and hospices. Take a look at some of our partners below.
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