Volunteering in Primary Care/GP Practices Toolkit

Introduction

The development of this toolkit has been funded by Welsh Government through the Coronavirus Recovery Grant for Volunteering (West Glamorgan Volunteering Support).

The toolkit is designed to contribute to the development of a National Standard of Good Practice in Volunteering in GP Practices/Primary Care. This toolkit is for anyone interested in developing volunteering in GP Practices/Primary Care, but is particularly aimed at GP practices and Primary Care Providers that are interested in using this resource to help engage volunteers within their respective setting.

Whilst we acknowledge that the remit of primary care is broader than GP Practices, for the purposes of this toolkit the primary focus will be on GP Practices and how to maximise the use of volunteers within GP Practices. However, it is recognised that the content
of the toolkit will be quite generic, which will therefore mean that it is easily transferable and could be used across other Primary Care settings.

The content of this guide is based on some real experiences of volunteering in GP Practice through work undertaken by (SCVS) in partnership with GP Practices within the Cwmtawe Cluster in the Swansea Bay University Health Board area. We have also utilised information from a range of sources, which are referenced within the document. The toolkit is complemented by a number of information sheets and volunteer induction training resources, which are referenced throughout the document and have been developed as part of the West Glamorgan Volunteering Support project.

The toolkit is complemented by a number of information sheets and volunteer induction training resources, which are referenced throughout the document and have been developed as part of the West Glamorgan Volunteering Support project.

Section One – Why Involve Volunteers?

Definition of Volunteering
A volunteer is someone who commits time and energy for the benefit of society and the community, and can take many forms. It is undertaken freely and by choice, without concern for financial gain (Volunteering England). Volunteering can be broken down into informal volunteering and formal volunteering.

Informal Volunteering
Informal volunteering is undertaken by individuals for other people or community groups, although such individuals may not
always regard themselves as volunteers. It includes:
• Helping neighbours, community action, participating in faith and community groups and,
• helping out at local events.
There are no formal processes for recruitment. This kind of volunteering is largely hidden within our communities but is strongly rooted within Welsh culture. It is to be celebrated and encouraged.

Formal Volunteering
Formal volunteering refers to situations where a volunteer’s efforts are channelled through an organisation. Such organisations are sometimes described as volunteer involving organisations. Many volunteering opportunities are suitable for everyone, with appropriate induction and support. Some require volunteers to be trained extensively for their role (for example in advice work, youth work including scouts and guides, or emergency services). Some may require specialist expertise or prior qualification (for example many overseas volunteering opportunities). Volunteering may be a one off event, for a short period, or a longer term commitment.

The main focus of this toolkit will be on creating and managing formal volunteering opportunities as opposed to informal opportunities.

For the full document please download the attachment.

You may also be interested in:

• What will 2021 hold for volunteering in health and care?
• The Future of Integrated Care in England
• Volunteering in Primary Care - Problem Definition
• Guide to Volunteering in Primary Care

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