Call goes out for 250,000 Volunteers to support NHS

The British public has responded quickly to the call for volunteer help for the NHS by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

Overnight, more than 170,000 people of the target 250,000 had signed up to become NHS Volunteer Responders to support the NHS’s work in supporting patients affected by the coronavirus.

The Health Secretary explained: “The NHS volunteer responders is a new scheme set up so that people can come and help and to make sure that the NHS and local services that are needed get all the support that they can.”

The initiative consists of four roles:

Community Response volunteer: This role involves collecting shopping, medication or other essential supplies for someone who is self-isolating, and delivering these supplies to their home.

Patient Transport volunteer: This role supports the NHS by providing transport to patients who are medically fit for discharge, and ensuring that they are settled safely back in to their home.

NHS Transport volunteer: This role involves transporting equipment, supplies and/or medication between NHS services and sites, it may also involve assisting pharmacies with medication delivery.

Check-in and Chat volunteer: This role provides short-term telephone support to individuals who are at risk of loneliness as a consequence of self-isolation.

Members of the public can sign up quickly and easily at goodsamapp.org/NHS to become NHS Volunteer Responders