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Project to encourage diverse range of NHS volunteers

Ed Miliband, Minister for the Third Sector, and Ivan Lewis, Health Minister, have launched the new Volunteering in Health project which aims to encourage volunteers from a diverse range of backgrounds and spread best practice by highlighting where volunteering already successfully complements the work of NHS staff.

The scheme is jointly funded by the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office (£200,000) and the Care Services Improvement Partnership [External website] (£65,000) and will be delivered by Time for Health [External website], an initiative founded in June 2006 between the largest volunteering organisations in health to provide a representative voice for volunteering in the NHS.

Ed Miliband, Minister for the Third Sector, said:

“I've had the privilege of meeting volunteers in the NHS who have found the experience rewarding and valuable. This programme aims to offer this opportunity to a more diverse range of individuals – particularly those who could stand to benefit most, including young people and those at risk of social exclusion.”

There are three strands to the scheme:

• The appointment of a Volunteer Development Officer to work with a select group of hospitals to raise awareness through local media and increase the numbers of volunteers from diverse backgrounds, especially young people and socially excluded groups.
• The distribution of £75,000 in small grants to provide voluntary hospital groups with funds to build their capacity and actively encourage volunteers from social excluded groups.
• Run a series of one-day training programmes for Volunteer Managers and NHS Executive Board members on supporting volunteers from a diverse range of backgrounds.

The Volunteering in Health project is part of the Government's larger Volunteering for All programme , which aims to tackle barriers to volunteering and increase numbers of volunteers from social excluded groups.

Ivan Lewis, Health Minister, said:

“Every day thousands of volunteers, supported by the relentless work of organisations across the country, bring a passion and dedication to healthcare that enhances patient care and helps develop services matching the needs of local communities. As with all health services, it is crucial that volunteers maintain the highest standards. The training and best practice that ‘Volunteering in Health’ is to provide will help maintain standards and, importantly, improve the experience that volunteers have.”

For more information on Volunteering in Health please visit Time for Health [External website], or contact Janet Simpson on 020 7307 2570.

Time for Health is made up of:

• Attend [External website]
• Care Services Improvement Partnership [External website]
• General Dental Council [External website]
• National Association of Voluntary Service Managers [External website]
• TimeBank [External website]
• WRVS [External website]