35,000 volunteers stand up to support the NHS this winter - could they help support your virtual ward?
When I was Chief Executive at the West Middlesex, I was contacted one day by an undergraduate student interested in a career in management within the NHS. I have found the NHS a fascinating place to build a career so I try to help others looking for guidance. We met and discussed this and I was impressed by her attitude and values, and what she had achieved working in developing countries in her year off, and thought she was exactly the sort of person we needed more of in the NHS.
I described how working in a job in the frontline - I was a ward housekeeper in my year off - had been really useful in terms of giving insights in how the NHS works at close range, as well as being involved directly with patients. One of my suggestions to her was to undertake some volunteering work in the NHS to get a taste of this and that it would also demonstrate her commitment in future job applications.?
She got back to me some time later, a little downhearted, to say she had been able to follow up on my other suggestions but had got nowhere with the volunteering part. She had contacted hospitals and other NHS organisations both around her university and close to her parents to no avail, and in the end we fixed her up with a role at my hospital, to which she commuted. This did assist her in getting her first role in the NHS and I’m delighted to say that 15 years on, she is still working in the NHS, now in a senior leadership position in acute and community services in Surrey.?
But I do understand the difficulties, volunteer co-ordination services tend to be run on a shoestring, and while the NHS absolutely needs help, linking offers to need has been tricky in the past.?
This completely changed during the pandemic, as the amazing strength of feeling for the NHS, demonstrated in clapping in the street, hand drawn pictures in windows and rainbows everywhere, also converted into a wave of offers of practical help. Thanks to a nice bit of tech, the GoodSAM app - more on this later - for the first time there was a way to harness offers from across the country and link them to asks from NHS teams. A very wise decision was taken to keep the service going in “peacetime” and there are now more than 35,000 fantastic people across England who have signed up to volunteer to help the NHS and social care.?
And so NHS and Care Volunteer Responders are standing by to boost capacity in health and care this winter and support some of the country’s most vulnerable people.?
Volunteers are ready to help the NHS and social care teams with winter priorities, including quicker patient discharge from hospital and the expansion of virtual wards enabling people to be cared for at home. Services such as Pick Up and Deliver and Community Response will allow patients who are medically fit to get home sooner rather than wait in hospital for prescriptions and equipment to be prepared.?
Examples of Volunteer Responder activities include:?
But this blog isn’t about inspiring you to volunteer (although there are details on how to do this at the end and it is very simple and extremely flexible) it is to raise awareness among NHS colleagues that this army of volunteers exists and could do with more opportunities to help a busy NHS.?
How Volunteer Responders are helping in Virtual Wards
I am also fascinated about how NHS Volunteer Responders are starting to help the Digital Home Care movement including delivering medicines to people recovering at home, supporting them with shopping and keeping them company.?
A great example is in Barnsley, in South Yorkshire. Jacqueline Howarth is the operational manager of RightCare Barnsley, supporting health and care systems to improve care quality, population health and system sustainability. In this role, Jacqueline works with the Barnsley Virtual Wards, which are supported by the NHS and Care Volunteer Responders programme.
Jacqueline said: “We utilise the Pick Up and Deliver service from the NHS and Care Volunteer Responders programme to assist us in supporting patients on our Virtual Ward. The patients currently on our Virtual Wards are mostly older people and are frail, with respiratory conditions of varying severity. Some live alone, and all would be in hospital if not for the Virtual Ward. The Virtual Ward is an alternative to hospital admission and a way to support earlier discharge.”
?She continues -
“In the past, we had patients who were unable to collect their prescriptions and medications when changes in treatment occurred, and in some cases, they did not have anyone who could do so on their behalf. As a result, Senior Community Nurses had to collect and deliver the medications, which was not an efficient use of their time. Through Pick Up and Deliver, we can utilise the support of volunteers, who collect and deliver essential medication to our patients. The service has been a huge help.”
“We are exploring the possibility of expanding the service to other patient groups and are in the early stages of developing these new pathways. Additionally, we are looking into other services provided by NHS and Care Volunteer Responders that would be useful to our Virtual Wards.”
“We have found the Pick Up and Deliver service to be incredibly helpful and necessary. We have already recommended it to other colleagues and department heads in the hospital. The service is available seven days a week and is highly responsive, which is fantastic. There is no lengthy referral form required, which makes it easy to use.”
Given we now have Virtual Wards the length and breadth of the country - latest figures published this week showing that around 7,000 people will have woken up at home this morning while receiving hospital level care - it would be terrific to see more teams making good use of local volunteers as Barnsley is doing, through the Volunteer Responders service.?
Jess Power, Haematology Clinical Nurse Specialist at New Cross Hospital, agrees with Jacqueline and strongly recommends the service to other NHS colleagues. She uses the NHS and Care Volunteer Responders programme to support outpatients and ensure they have vital medication and equipment, and to support their wellbeing through friendly and encouraging phone calls.?
Jess said: “We have a cohort of primarily older, housebound patients who are unable to come to the hospital to collect medications and do not have anyone to collect them on their behalf. The Pick Up and Deliver service has been a game-changer for our work and our patients. It ensures that they receive their essential medications promptly, and the feedback from our patients has been overwhelmingly positive. The volunteers have been extremely friendly and helpful. I would definitely recommend the service to other health and care professionals.”
Who is involved?
NHS and Care Volunteer Responders is a volunteering programme supporting NHS England, Department of Health & Social Care and adult social care in England delivered by Royal Voluntary Service and GoodSAM.
About GoodSAM
GoodSAM is a wonderful example of "Tech For Good"- see their website for more.?
They began 10 years ago based on a genius idea of linking first responders to crises. This short video shows how -
Pip Hodgson, who I work with as part of the Digital Care team, is also an emergency department nurse who is a responder with GoodSAM and she describes it thus?
“As a responder for GoodSAM I am part of a first response community that is helping to save thousands of lives everyday. This is part of a growing community of different people, volunteers, paramedics, nurses, technicians that are CPR trained and offer emergency help before an ambulance arrives.?
My time with GoodSAM has really broadened my professional development though the situations I have been exposed to and the people I have met along the way.”
During the pandemic the team at GoodSAM offered to expand the platform to help coordinate volunteers and this is how the partnership began.?
GoodSAM now provides a range of solutions across emergency, volunteering and support services. From the world's most advanced video systems to crowdsourcing resuscitation, from virtual wards to running national volunteer programmes, they provide cutting edge solutions to deliver better care and services.
Professor Mark Wilson OBE, GoodSAM co-founder and neurosurgeon, said: “The winter months can be particularly difficult for many people and the pressure on NHS and social care becomes even more challenging during this time. Over 35,000 volunteers across the programme are ready to support those in need and to relieve some of these winter pressures. The more volunteers that step forward the more impact we can make.”
About the Royal Voluntary Service?
The Royal Voluntary Service is a great institution that has been going for 85 years and mobilises volunteers in every corner of Britain to support people in need and the NHS. Their volunteers work with healthcare teams and in communities providing practical help and emotional support when people are struggling to cope.
They are also the lead organisation delivering the NHS and Care Volunteer Responders programme for NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, to help to ease pressure on the health and social care systems by providing support to people receiving care from local services or to those who have recently been discharged from hospital.?
Catherine Johnstone CBE, Chief Executive of Royal Voluntary Service said: “The colder months are the most difficult for many in our communities, particularly older people and those experiencing health challenges, loneliness and isolation. The support of volunteers is, at this time of year, more vital than ever.”
Volunteers find the roles very satisfying and the flexibility - you just put into the app when you are available or off duty - is really helpful as it means you can volunteer around existing commitments and can accept an offered task at the touch of a button.
Volunteer Responder Abigail Igbayo really enjoys being out in her local community helping, she said: “Engaging with and supporting others with friendly phone calls has been an incredibly rewarding experience. The people I've connected with often face challenges that affect their wellbeing, and it's fulfilling to see how much of a positive impact a simple phone call can have.”
Let’s connect more people receiving NHS care at home this winter, with this fantastic service.?
I want help!?
If you, or someone you know, or someone you care for would like support or have any questions about the Volunteer Responders programme, we're here to help. Our Support Team is on standby to book your volunteer support and address any queries you may have. Call 0808 196 3646 between 8am and 8pm, 7 days a week.
I want to volunteer!
To sign up to be a Volunteer Responder you need to complete a quick ID check and Driver Status Declaration. To do this you will need photo ID for example your driving licence or passport. You may also need to complete a DBS check depending on your chosen volunteering activity.
Volunteer Responders is an app-based volunteer programme. You can turn yourself on and off duty depending on your availability which means that you can easily fit volunteering around your day.
Step forward and join the team today! All info at the link -?