NHS England CEO’s clarion call for volunteering to be put at the heart of services

Sir Jim Mackey, Chief Executive of NHS England, has urged health service leaders across the country to embed volunteering at the heart of efforts to make the NHS fit for the future.

Sir Jim highlights the impact that structured, well-designed volunteering programmes have already made over recent years – particularly during the Covid pandemic – and called for a similar approach to be taken as the NHS now gears up to deliver the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan.

Volunteering has long been woven into the fabric of the NHS. According to NHS England, 70,000 volunteers support services across England at any one time, contributing six million hours annually. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHS Volunteer Responders programme mobilised hundreds of thousands of people to support clinically vulnerable patients, underlining the scale of public willingness to serve.

A growing body of evidence from healthcare volunteering charity Helpforce suggests that when volunteering is strategically designed and embedded, it can improve the flow of patients through hospital wards and clinics, support safer discharge, reduce loneliness, and release clinical time by reallocating appropriate non-clinical tasks.

Sir Jim Mackey said: “Volunteers have long been an important part of the DNA of the NHS – whether that’s providing additional support to patients, helping to improve the wellbeing of our frontline teams, or boosting investment in key improvements to local services.

“There is a valuable and enduring desire for people to support the NHS and their communities – from the volunteer stewards helping to run Covid vaccine centres, to volunteers helping patients return home from hospital, or boosting outreach efforts to improve the health of communities the NHS often struggles to reach.

“As we focus on delivering the ambitions of the 10 Year Health Plan, well-designed volunteering initiatives can make a powerful contribution to what we’ve got to achieve and certainly shouldn’t be an after-thought.

“And to any members of the public who want to get involved in their local communities, please do consider volunteering with the NHS; our portal at volunteering.england.nhs.uk provides a one stop shop to find opportunities close to you.”

Over the past three years alone, innovative volunteering programmes from Helpforce have supported more than one million people, including 910,954 patients, 130,850 NHS staff and 77,677 volunteers.

According to the charity’s data, 87% of frontline NHS staff agree that volunteer involvement improves the quality of care provided. Meanwhile, 79% of healthcare professionals say that support from volunteers enhances their working lives.

Amerjit Chohan, CEO of Helpforce, said Sir Jim’s comments reflect a growing consensus among health leaders:

“This is a pivotal moment for NHS volunteering. When volunteering is aligned to operational priorities - whether that’s discharge, outpatient flow or neighbourhood care - it delivers measurable gains for patients and staff alike.

“This isn’t about volunteers replacing healthcare professionals – it’s about complementing doctors and nurses and freeing them up to undertake the kind of complex duties that they are trained to perform.

“Across England, we see volunteers making a tangible difference every day – improving patient experience and wellbeing while strengthening the connection between the NHS and its communities.

“It used to be the case that NHS volunteers were largely confined to hospital reception and café duties. While such remits remain hugely valuable, there are now a staggering 300 different volunteering roles available – including pharmacy runners, mealtime companions and volunteer discharge drivers.

“Sir Jim is right to say that volunteering cannot sit on the margins. It needs board-level ownership within NHS trusts, robust governance and a clear link to system objectives. When that happens, the results are transformative.”

As the health service continues to focus on productivity, workforce resilience and community-based care, Sir Jim’s intervention is likely to sharpen attention on how volunteering can be embedded more systematically as part of NHS service design.

Anyone interested in healthcare volunteering opportunities in their local area can visit the NHS Volunteering website.