Helpforce’s response to the NHS Constitution 10 Year Review

Consultation for the NHS Constitution for England 10-year review closes at midnight on 25 June and we hope that individuals and organisations concerned about the NHS in England have responded to the proposed changes. While it’s open, you can respond here.

Helpforce is thrilled that, for the first time, it’s proposed the Constitution includes an NHS pledge to support volunteers: a clear sign that the NHS now recognises the difference volunteers make to patients and staff. 

We've welcomed this breakthrough, while proposing – along with fellow charity RVS – that the Constitution should include a dedicated volunteers section. We've further proposed that the pledge could be strengthened to reflect volunteering's systemic contribution and the kind of support volunteers need.

Our response

Helpforce is a charity that exists to optimise the role of volunteering within health and care services. We strongly welcome the proposed addition of volunteers to the NHS Constitution as a clear acknowledgement of their important role.  

We understand why it’s proposed ‘volunteers’ are added to the ‘staff’ section but, like fellow charity RVS, believe volunteers need a separate section. This would acknowledge their significant, complementary but separate contribution: recognising the different legal framework and, importantly, moving away from any suggestion that volunteers are the same as or might replace staff.  

We agree with inserting a sentence about volunteers’ responsibilities to the public, patients, fellow volunteers and staff.  

We also believe that the NHS pledge could be strengthened to reflect more of what supporting volunteers involves, as the staff pledges do, and the value of volunteering to the NHS, beyond the input of individual volunteers. We suggest the following wording:  

Volunteers: NHS pledges to you  

The NHS recognises the important role volunteering plays in contributing to the success of the health service. Volunteers complement the NHS workforce. Volunteers should be supported to optimise the difference they can make to staff, patients and their families.  

The NHS pledges to:

Provide volunteers with the support they need to help NHS staff and so contribute to better patient care and experience. Support should include:

• a positive working environment, to allow volunteers to contribute to the best of their ability, optimising the support they can give to staff, patients and patients’ families

• roles and responsibilities that meet their personal skills and preferences as well as organisational needs

• training and supervision to carry out their roles effectively and to the best of their ability.

Under ‘other areas’

We propose adding volunteers to the groups listed under NHS Values as 'Working together for patients' and 'Commitment to quality of care'. Volunteers are worth mentioning explicitly as, although they come from local communities, their role in the NHS is around providing a direct service to patients and families, alongside staff.

ENDS.