Voluntary Sector Recognition in the NHS 10-Year Health Plan: An encouraging step forward

We at Helpforce are pleased that the Government's has recognised the importance of healthcare volunteering in the long-awaited NHS 10-Year Health Plan, which has been unveiled today.

Neighbourhood Health Services are to be rolled out across the country, bringing diagnostics, mental health, post-op, rehab, and nursing to people’s doorsteps – and it's envisaged that volunteers will play a meaningful role in these teams.

New health centres will house the neighbourhood teams, which will eventually be open 12 hours a day, six days a week within local communities. They will not only bring historically hospital-based services into the community - diagnostics, post-operative care, and rehab - but will also offer services like debt advice, employment support and stop smoking or weight management, all of which will help tackle issues known to affect people’s health.

While for the foreseeable future there will remain an acute need for volunteers to support over-stretched services in hospitals, the establishment of neighbourhood health centres represents a long-term opportunity for Helpforce, which has current experience of developing community-based volunteering solutions that empower people to recover well, stay well and live well.

Amerjit Chohan, chief executive of Helpforce, said: "We warmly welcome today's acknowledgement that the voluntary sector and volunteering has an important role to play in rebuilding the health service.

“Around 100,000 dedicated volunteers already make an immense contribution to the NHS through a myriad of roles ranging from community first responders and ward assistants to mealtime helpers and end of life companions. Together, they provide over 6.4 million hours of time every year.

“Volunteers were once considered an optional addition - but today's announcement confirms what we and our healthcare partners have long understood - volunteers must be integral to effective delivery of modern healthcare. This includes their crucial role in supporting the movement of care from hospitals into community settings.

“Over the coming months we will be pressing for Helpforce to work closely with the Department of Health & Social Care to ensure that our expertise in establishing large-scale, high-impact volunteering programmes is harnessed as the plan is developed in detail.”

The timing couldn't be more crucial. Lord Darzi's review diagnosed a health service in crisis, with patients struggling to access treatment and quality of care receding. While system-level improvements are needed, volunteering has a role to play in turning things around – and a significant one at that.

The scale and impact of NHS volunteering

Helpforce’s 'Back to Health' initiative has demonstrated the transformative power of volunteering at scale. Working alongside 103 NHS and community organisations, we’ve helped mobilised over 77,000 volunteers who have supported more than one million people over the last three years. The impact has been remarkable:

• 87% of healthcare staff reported that volunteers improved the quality of care provided
• 92% of patients agreed volunteers improved their sense of wellbeing, aiding recovery
• 84% of patients believed volunteers helped reduce their anxiety

Real solutions to healthcare challenges

Volunteer-led initiatives are addressing pressing challenges facing our health service.

For example, the 'falls prevention' service at Kingston Hospital sees specially trained volunteers supporting discharged patients with rehabilitation exercises at home, freeing physiotherapists' resources and reducing readmissions. The total annual cost of fragility fractures to the UK has been estimated at £4.4 billion and studies have indicated that tailored exercise programmes can decrease falls in the over-65s by 54%.

And in Cornwall, Helpforce has been applying its expertise to supporting and evaluating a network of community hubs that have helped to reduce increasing pressure on NHS services by providing local support to local people. The hubs support users to navigate community services that can support their financial, physical, and mental health and wellbeing and include stroke support, frailty and falls, prevention, cancer and pain cafes, and bereavement support. Out of more than 11,000 users over a 15-month period, 50 per cent said they would have approached a healthcare provider if the hubs didn’t exist.

Pathways to healthcare careers

Helpforce’s trailblazing Volunteer to Career programme, which helps people transition from volunteering roles to frontline healthcare careers, has shown remarkable success, with 55% of participants securing paid healthcare roles in hospital or community settings, or training. This initiative helps address the 107,000 vacant NHS secondary care roles while providing opportunities for the 9.3 million people aged 16-64 deemed economically inactive.

While we delve deeper into the detail of the 10-Year NHS Health Plan, we will be strengthening our existing partnerships and exploring new alliances. As we navigate the opportunities presented, we'll be ensuring that volunteering is integral to healthcare being its very best.