British Journal of Nursing - Unlocking the potential of volunteers

Abstract

Sam Foster, Chief Nurse, Oxford University Hospitals, considers the need for an evidence base for a best practice NHS volunteer model to improve care quality, rather than using volunteers as a means to cut costs and training initiatives that could include enabling volunteers to switch careers

I have always valued the contribution that volunteers make to the experience of staff and patients. Many NHS organisations have a strong embedded approach to the recruitment and deployment of volunteers, and many of us would love to develop our current position to fully realise the volunteer potential.

Galea et al (2013) reviewed the role of volunteering within health care for The King's Fund and found that:

Around 3 million people were volunteering in health and social care, making an important contribution to people's experience of care

Innovative forms of volunteering were reaching out to new communities and engaging people in service delivery in new ways

In some hospitals, volunteers were increasingly being seen as an integral part of the care team rather than an ‘add-on’

Many organisations lacked a strategic vision for the role of volunteering within their workforce and so missed opportunities to engage volunteers more fully

The economic situation was creating a challenging environment for volunteering and raising concerns about job substitution.

Galea et al (2013) suggested that healthcare providers should strengthen their strategic approach towards volunteering and focus on volunteering as a means of improving quality rather than cutting costs.

Progress within the NHS has varied. A simple web search of ‘volunteering in hospitals' showcases a number of glossy ‘how to volunteer’ approaches, but appears a little transactional, with one organisation closed to applicants due to a high volume of interest.

I was therefore delighted recently when, during a conversation, a colleague shared an exciting campaign she that is involved in, working with the charitable organisation Helpforce. This is a community interest company founded by philanthropist and health leader Sir Thomas Hughes-Hallett, who is now Chair of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. He welcomed the opportunity to develop a national programme to promote the role and value of volunteering in hospitals and highlight the value of volunteer-centred innovation and improvement across the UK (Hughes-Hallett, 2018).

In December, the Daily Mail newspaper and Helpforce launched a campaign to increase the number of NHS volunteers by encouraging people to pledge their commitment. In parallel, the Helpforce team is developing a national framework to support the volunteer workforce. This includes:

Scoping the delivery of a 5-year programme of work that is high impact and low cost, to unlock the full potential of volunteers

Sharing insights widely across the NHS to help build an evidence base for a best-practice model within the service

Co-producing interventions that can be carried out by volunteers to support healthcare teams and that nurses feel will add value to care and the patient experience. A range of interventions is already being successfully delivered by volunteers, some of which have been shared on the Helpforce website (https://www.helpforce.community)

Developing standardised induction outcomes and a programme of ongoing development for volunteers

Providing volunteers and local communities with information on how they can improve health and wellbeing, through volunteer health champions. This will potentially engage more people and open up a new pool of volunteers

Enabling volunteers (where appropriate) to develop their skills and exchange their volunteer role for a career in health care, Building in researchable outcomes for the work, using an impact and insight framework and collaborating with researchers to demonstrate benefit and value.

Helpforce is also in the early stages of engaging with sustainability and transformation plans to consider the broader aim of improving population health and wellbeing, which is core to service planning. Volunteering has been shown to have favourable effects on depression, life satisfaction and wellbeing (Jenkinson et al, 2013).

Nurse leaders have a genuine opportunity to create an environment that opens up a range of potential new routes into volunteering and (where appropriate) to encourage people to move from their volunteer role into a career in health care, including encouraging older individuals with the appropriate skills who may be reaching the end of their careers to consider a new career in health care

Helpforce understands that the support of nursing and allied health professionals (AHPs) leaders is essential to ensuring that volunteer roles are an intrinsic part of the compassionate care delivered to patients. My colleague, Kay Fawcett, who is working with Helpforce as Education Lead and Clinical Advisor has shared with me that in 2019, Helpforce intends to engage with trust chief nurses to co-design interventions for volunteers that will benefit patients and have the support of clinical teams,. This work will is a key component in embedding genuine change, sustaining volunteering initiatives and encouraging person-centred care.