Giving Back, Transforming Care

A bold three-year campaign designed by Helpforce to inspire national conversations, foster deeper public engagement and shift perceptions of healthcare volunteering from a 'nice to have' to a strategic imperative.

Click the video to learn more.

Guided by our vision for a nation where volunteering is integral to healthcare being its very best

Giving Back, Transforming Care is our bold three-year campaign, starting in 2025, with two goals in mind:

Calling for investment

Securing substantial strategic investment from government, health organisations, and philanthropic funders for robust healthcare volunteering infrastructure

Raising awareness

Significantly raising awareness about the profound impact of expertly designed healthcare volunteer programmes

Why is there a need for this campaign?

Volunteers have a pivotal role to play

The Government’s narrative surrounding the new NHS 10-Year Health Plan clearly recognises that volunteers have a pivotal role to play in getting the NHS back on its feet, especially in bringing care closer to home through neighbourhood health centres.

Healthcare organisations don't all embrace this vision

We face a significant challenge: many healthcare organisations haven't yet embraced this vision or fully grasped the tremendous potential of volunteering in enhancing care and alleviating staff pressure. This disconnect means that volunteering remains insufficiently integrated into our healthcare system, potentially squandering a powerful resource that could help address health inequalities and systemic inefficiencies.

A shift in perception is crucial

We must fully shift the perception that 'volunteers are nice to have' to recognising them 'an integral part of modern healthcare.' Only when this mindset changes can meaningful action take place.

How are we going to deliver this campaign?

As the only UK charity solely focused on advancing high-impact volunteering across healthcare, we have established partnerships with over 100 NHS organisations, charities, and VCSE organisations, allowing us to support more than 1.1M people and garner evidence that volunteers can help tackle some of the NHS’s most challenging issues.

Through delivering far-reaching programmes, Helpforce has forged vital connections and developed crucial insights into scaling volunteering solutions for maximum impact.

Our evidence shows that

87 %

of staff agree volunteers improve the quality of care they can provide

78 %

of patients agree that support from volunteers helped them to feel less anxious, aiding their recovery

91 %

of volunteers agree or strongly agree their volunteering gives them a sense of purpose

87 %

of staff agree volunteers improve the quality of care they can provide

78 %

of patients agree that support from volunteers helped them to feel less anxious, aiding their recovery

91 %

of volunteers agree or strongly agree their volunteering gives them a sense of purpose

Working alongside partners, our Giving Back, Transforming Care campaign will focus on three key fronts:

Showing

Showing the transformative impact volunteers have on our healthcare system – reaching healthcare leaders, policymakers and the wider public.

Connecting

Building powerful alliances with health organisations and charities to deliver system-changing programmes

Advocating

Advocating for substantial investment in healthcare volunteering from government, health organisations, and philanthropic funders

Health leaders who back our campaign:

"Every day, thousands of clinically trained St John volunteers make a huge difference in communities across the country. From providing lifesaving care, to empowering people of all ages with the confidence to act in emergencies. Their work is vital and inspiring. We support Helpforce’s ‘Giving Back, Transforming Care’ campaign objectives and its mission to transform how volunteers, who generously give their time to others, are valued within the healthcare system.

Dr George Woods, Chief Strategy and Business Officer, St John Ambulance

"The scale and reach of Helpforce’s work is hugely impressive and it illustrates the phenomenal appetite for healthcare volunteering that exists among the general public. Expertly designed volunteering programmes can have a hugely positive impact on the NHS workforce by enabling them to focus on clinical care and I’m delighted that the charity’s new Giving Back, Transforming Care campaign will be shining a light on this."

Professor Clare Cable, Chief Executive, The Burdett Trust for Nursing

Volunteers who are 'Giving Back':

Andrew King 2 d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e

Andrew's story

Amy's story

Andrew King became passionate about healthcare after his son Alex developed a mental health condition at the age of 15 while going through his GCSEs. The experience gave Andrew an insight into the challenges of mental health support and also showed him how problems could be solved with the right support.

Last year Andrew began volunteering with the mental health services team at Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, triaging new patients by interviewing them about their challenges and needs.

“Volunteering gave me a chance to pay the NHS back for helping my son in his time of need. And it gave me an insight into how volunteers are so key to the health service in terms of freeing up staff to focus on the most critical aspects of patient care. So many people start volunteering in the NHS to ‘give back’. For me it was an instinctive thing to want to do.”

Andrew recently secured a full-time job specialising in mental health support with the Trust.

Amy Bloxsome spent much of her childhood visiting Alder Hey Children’s Hospital with her elder brother Jordan, who was a Type 1 diabetic. The experience had a huge impact on her.

“Watching Jordan grow up with complex health needs meant I saw at first hand the life and death importance of good hospital care. It sparked a deep desire to do something to give back to the profession that had helped my brother so much.”

Amy began volunteering in Alder Hey’s A&E department, helping patients navigate their appointments, looking after families, and generally taking pressure off the frontline staff.

Now Amy is looking forward to qualifying as a paediatric nurse later this year.

Bailey's story

Chetan's story

Bailey Thompson knew that she wanted to ‘give back’ after medics saved her baby girl’s life and that was exactly what she did.

“With the incredible care and nurture from the doctors, nurses and midwives, Sophie gradually improved and we were able to take her home after a couple of weeks,” said Bailey.

Over the next year, Bailey decided to volunteer for the neonatal unit and she completed more than 200 hours of volunteering with the post-natal team at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.

“The team were incredibly supportive,” she recalled. “I learned so much in a short space of time. But I also worked hard to alleviate pressure on the team, taking on tea rounds, distributing meals and setting up beds for patients.”

She is now undertaking a three-year midwifery degree at the University of Staffordshire.

Chetan Bhakri exemplifies the extraordinary selflessness of healthcare volunteers who provide the theme for Helpforce’s major new campaign: ‘Giving Back, Transforming Care’.

The 50-year-old, who works full-time as a software engineer, spends his Saturday and Sunday evenings reporting for volunteering duties at Kingston Hospital.

He helps out in the hospital’s busy emergency department where he’s considered a key part of the team. Duties include keeping patients company and putting them at ease, providing hot drinks for and food for those awaiting care, and ensuring linen cupboards are well stocked.

Chetan’s motivation to help the NHS stems from his love for his younger brother, Amitabh, who was successfully treated for a serious heart condition last year.

“Volunteering makes me a better person and builds compassion in me. As a hospital volunteer, you realise that whatever pains and problems you have in life are nothing compared to what some people have to put up with.”