New volunteering initiative aims to tackle NHS workforce shortage

2nd June 2021

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A new initiative has been launched today to support five NHS Trusts across England to enable their volunteers to take up a career within the NHS.

The “Volunteer to Career” programme is a pioneering project which will help address shortages in the NHS workforce by actively supporting volunteers on to a healthcare career.

Working with five Trusts, projects will be led by clinicians working in partnership with volunteer services. Through a ‘Volunteer to Career Pathway’ designed by the clinicians, volunteers have an opportunity to develop skills and capabilities related to a career role within their local Trust. The scheme, which is run by Helpforce and funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing, aims to see an increase in the number of volunteers who have an interest in pursuing a career in health and care after their volunteering experience.

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Maeve Hully, Director of Volunteering at Helpforce, said:

“This is a very important scheme to address one of the biggest challenges the NHS is facing - a cycle of shortages and increased pressures on staff, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic. NHS hospitals, mental health services and community providers are now reporting a shortage of nearly 84,000 FTE staff, severely affecting key groups such as nurses, midwives and health visitors.”

“With clinicians leading this project, clinical teams and volunteer services will work together to bring greater opportunities for staff and patients. And at the same time, it enables volunteers to explore different career pathways within the NHS. We look forward to sharing insights from this programme to help other NHS Trusts develop similar initiatives, so that together we can accelerate the growth and impact of volunteering in health and care.”

The five projects will focus on a range of areas, such as mental health, patients with special needs, A&E, community health services, and paediatrics, with a view to volunteers moving into careers such as Play Specialism and Mental Health Support/Peer Workers.

The Trusts involved will receive wide-ranging support from Helpforce. Clinical leads will complete a series of sessions that provide information, support and guidance for the development of their projects, alongside mentoring from an experienced clinician for the duration of the programme.

Audrey Ardern-Jones, Trustee, Burdett Trust for Nursing, said:

We are delighted to be sponsoring this exciting project, which sets out a framework for volunteers in hospital and healthcare settings and provides a solution to some of the NHS workforce challenges by supporting healthcare professionals.

Dean Moriarty, Assistant Practitioner, Health Based Place of Safety, Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, added:

I’m really looking forward to getting our volunteer to career project started. I’ve gained so much from volunteering over the years, so I can't wait to support others to move from volunteering into a career within Mental Health Care; hopefully others will find their roles as fulfilling and rewarding as I have.”

The Volunteer to Career launch comes during Volunteer’s Week (1-7 June), a UK-wide initiative to recognise the contributions that volunteers of all kinds make.

The five Trusts who are part of the programme are:

  • Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust

  • South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

  • Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust

  • Alder Hey Children’s Hospital

  • Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Media contact:

Vy Tran - Communications and Content Manager, vt@helpforce.community