Volunteering in Primary Care - Problem Definition

How can Helpforce work with systems, and the organisations working within systems, to encourage more volunteering in primary care?

What is the problem for systems?
A challenge to many GP practices is how they go about getting understanding of the communities in which they are based. The contract that GPs have with NHS England is very much focussed on treating people with illness and referring them onto the additional health services in the NHS.

Equally GPs, and their staff, rarely have the time or skills or inclination (in some cases) to build a comprehensive understanding of the capabilities and assets that sit within their communities. They do not have the time, given the focus on ten-minute consultations, to fully understand the root causes of a patient’s problem or the wider determinants of health issues. Inevitable they then address symptoms rather than causes. Mainly because the “causes” are not within the GP’s control - unemployment, debt, housing issues, immigration issues, domestic violence, etc

The key problem is that it is estimated that c. 35% of all GP appointments relate to a non-biomedical issue i.e. a GP is not the best person to help address the patient’s problem. Rather they need support to address the issues listed above but also to become better connected into their communities and to be given the support and agency to manage their own health and wider determinants of their health more effectively.

Outside of a few well known examples, such as Bromley By Bow, there are limited examples of GP practices working effectively with volunteers.

However, the landscape is changing with the funding that has been provided to Primary Care Networks (PCNs) to recruit Social Prescribing Link Workers (SPLWs). Somewhat disappointing though, most PCNs, rather than taking on responsibility for recruiting and managing SPLWs themselves, have outsourced this to other local organisations. Nevertheless, the appointment of SPLWs does present an opportunity to encourage volunteering in primary care.

How will things be better if the problem is solved?
A team of volunteers supporting GP practices and PCNs alongside the SPLWs can deliver multiple benefits:

GP practices
- understanding the scale community support that is available will allow more productive consultations with patients and allow GP staff to feel they are helping someone to get well rather than keep a lid on symptoms
- being able to refer many more patients to SPLWs and directly to volunteers to provide additional support has the potential to reduce demand, from some patients, for health services such as GP visits, A&E attendance etc

Volunteering
- to support GP practice could be highly rewarding experience
- is a way for volunteers to provider peer support for those with similar issues or conditions
- allows volunteers to become better connected in their communities
- can provide a route into employment
- can help address loneliness, isolation and low self esteem

Patients
- Social connectedness is an important (if not the most important) determinant of one’s health
- Volunteers supporting people to become better connected in their communities will make people healthier and will build stronger, more resilient communities
- Volunteers can help SPLWs to support many more patients to access local services that might help the root causes of that patient’s health issue - e.g. debt, housing etc

How does this impact on health priorities?
- Lees demand is placed on health services freeing up much needed capacity
- People manage their health better and therefore feel better
- People are supported to address wider determinants of ill health before they create a crisis requiring acute medical intervention