During November 2021 we held two focused discussion sessions and one general networking session for network members. As usual everyone was very willing to share their knowledge and experiences with each other. Thank you from all of us at Helpforce to those of you who took part and we hope to see you and some of our many other members at another of our events over the coming months.

Below are brief summaries of the sessions.

2 November 2021: Senior Buy in and Funding

Helpforce recognises that gaining senior leadership commitment to volunteering is critical to supporting the ambition to grow the scale and impact of volunteering across health and care systems. Research is being undertaken to capture the characteristics of organisations that fully embrace at senior leadership level the potential for volunteering. Helpforce will be sharing the outcomes of the research in the coming weeks, and in the meantime we would be grateful for your examples of successful leadership engagement in health and care organisations.

Topics discussed

View of volunteers and voluntary services
Reporting mechanisms for voluntary services
Profile of voluntary services and staff
Funding and resources

Summary

Volunteers are 'nice to have' and are although appreciated by Trusts, there is still a lack of investment in some areas to increase resources for voluntary services. However the attitude, sense of importance and value of volunteers is increasing in many Trusts and volunteers are now seen as a valued resource.
Voluntary services fall under different directorates within Trusts, ranging from Nursing and HR to Patient Experience and this can affect how volunteers / voluntary services are viewed and how much visibility and influence they have in their trust. There is a general lack of understanding of the role of a volunteer manager and the value that they add to the work of the organisation.
It is helpful to have a Voluntary Services strategy in place, particularly if clearly aligned to Trust core objectives for improvement in all areas.
There are expectations that voluntary services must source funding opportunities both internally and externally. However funding for short term projects to enhance voluntary services has limits and the benefits of the service cannot be sustained without further funding.
Volunteers supporting vaccination clinics and hubs on a mass scale have helped to increase recognition and value for volunteers.
Volunteer service managers do not always have access to support from their trust’s senior leadership team, or may not know who to approach.

11 November 2021: General Networking session

Topics discussed

NHSE Funding

Two attendees shared that they had recently received funding via the NHS England & Improvement Volunteering Futures Fund

Bringing back volunteers.

In general volunteers are being brought back, some more slowly than others.
Some wards will only accept ‘digital support’ volunteers.
Trolley services have been resumed but trolleys have to be left outside the wards.
Wards are making urgent requests for volunteers to help with tasks, saving time for staff (estimated nurses up to 15 minutes of their time per patient)
Reviews of risk assessments where benefits outweigh the risk. It needs to be recognised that the activity of volunteering has benefits on mental health. For example: a medium risk volunteer with mental health issues could find it highly beneficial to return to their volunteering role.
Some Trusts have had to take a hard line on those who have still not returned and have issued deadlines by which to respond.

With You

Details and the benefits of the With You app which can be used to create group messages for loved ones in hospital were shared by a member. You can find the details in our resources section.

Young Volunteers and Cadets

One member of the group was due to attend a meeting regarding the NHS Cadets scheme
Some would like to take up this offer, however they have concerns about the age range (14-25) as they have very few opportunities to offer those under 17.
Another trust has a minimum age of 18. However, they have requested that this be changed to 17. Staff need help on the wards with food and drink for patients and the younger volunteers would be ideal for this role.
One Trust now has more young people volunteering than the traditional older age group.

24 November 2021: Mental Health

This session was split into three groups with a member of the Helpforce team facilitating and each group brought some innovative ideas and insight to the discussion. One group member shared that by removing the words ‘mental health’ from role descriptions he was able to attract more new volunteers, instead focusing on health and wellbeing and engaging their interest with arts and cultural activities. There was also a recognition that younger volunteers are more open about mental health. In one group the topic of Mental Health first aid training was discussed with great interest and this is an area of work that Helpforce will be pursuing.

We also heard about some exciting and innovative volunteer roles being developed by mental health trusts to support people’s health and wellbeing:

Life skills volunteers
Employability volunteers - assisting with letter writing and CV’s
Photography role - therapeutic care
Exhibition curator role - displays of service users’ work
Home-based communication role
Mobile library unit
Walking role
Ward buddies
Community group volunteers providing peer support and lived experience
Pets as Therapy
Police officer and his trauma dog.
Building support networks whilst a patient is in hospital which can be continued when they return home
Art - hosting cultural and creative events in hospitals
Developing and maintaining hospital green spaces
Engaging with allotment sites.