A newly published impact report from Helpforce showcases the growing role of volunteering in supporting patients, staff and services across the NHS and local communities.
Helpforce, a commissioned partner supporting the Health and Growth Accelerator agenda across North East and North Cumbria, has shared evidence demonstrating how volunteering can help address some of the most pressing challenges facing health and care systems.
The report highlights how strategically designed and well-integrated volunteering programmes are delivering tangible benefits in a range of settings.
Examples include:
Across different organisations and communities, the findings show a consistent message: healthcare volunteering delivers value for patients, staff, services and communities.
The impact described in the report aligns with wider system ambitions around prevention, reducing inequalities, and improving patient experience.
Community-focused approaches, such as volunteer-supported networks, are helping people feel more connected, confident in managing their health, and better supported outside of traditional clinical settings. At the same time, volunteering is providing additional capacity within services and supporting staff to focus on clinical priorities.
The progress outlined in the report has been made possible through collaboration between partners across the NHS, local authorities and the voluntary and community sector.
Organisations across the North East and North Cumbria have played a key role in testing new approaches, embedding volunteering within services, and championing its value as part of wider system transformation.
The report offers both validation of the impact already being achieved and inspiration for future opportunities to expand and embed volunteering further.
Colleagues are encouraged to consider how volunteering could support priorities within their own teams, services or organisations, and to explore how these approaches could be adapted and scaled across the system.
