Focused Discussion | Turning visions into strategies

11 February 2025

Some organisations do not have a volunteer strategy but are keen to have one to help them move their service forward and cope with the ever-changing landscape of volunteering. However, some prefer to have a vision to set the tone in terms of what they need to achieve and how they are going to achieve it on a department level.

Network members recommended key partners when writing a strategy

• Patient experience team

• Key executives

• Therapy team

• Nursing team

• Transport team

• Patients

• Volunteers

• Community or NHS Trust that you work with

Ideas and recommendations from network members.

• Volunteering is constantly changing so there needs to be an element of flexibility. One guest has noticed that people are committing less time to volunteering, so they require double the number of volunteers.

• Incorporate a full range of ages.

• Formal and ad hoc volunteering.

• It needs to be encompassing to make sure that the whole volunteer journey is the best it can be.

• Consult internal and external industry experts.

• Review and evaluate the current strategy if you have one and hold reflection workshops.

• Tie the strategy to plans within your local area. For example, health education, health board, voluntary organisations/local hospitals/local hospices.

Emergency department volunteers

Towards the end of the discussion a conversation started up on emergency department volunteers, the high demand for them, recruitment difficulties and keeping the roles fresh and interesting. Some of the key points:

• Recruiting an emergency department volunteer can be a struggle as the volunteer will be restricted clearance until they have had the required vaccinations. One of the vaccinations requires two injections three months apart, causing a delay in the start date.

• Any volunteer working in this area needs to be resilient, so there is a need to be cautious when recruiting for this role. Advice from one member was to have a two-session trial for the volunteer to see if it was for them or not.

• In one area of Wales the key roles are pharmacy runners and volunteers keeping the areas for gloves, aprons etc. stocked up, saving the staff time.

To help you get started on a strategy or vision some great examples can be found amongst the Helpforce Resources