Volunteers offer so much to our services and those who use them. Volunteering in return offers vital experience for those wanting to gain life and work skills. This can include boosting confidence, making friends, adding to a CV and a stepping stone into paid employment.

Volunteering doesn’t just benefit those that do it, it also has benefits for our service users, staff and our organisation.

Volunteers can really enrich the experiences of our service users during their time accessing our services. An example of this includes our gardening volunteers who have helped create beautiful and peaceful spaces for our patients in inpatient areas, where patients and their carers are able to spend time outside and have some time away from ward environments. 

A report by the Volunteering Innovators Programme at Helpforce (a national volunteering charity) in 2020 said nurses estimated that volunteers free up an average of 26 minutes per nurse per day, allowing them to complete their priority and clinical tasks, supporting more patients and giving them more time to care for patients with complex needs.  Volunteers can also support the increase of staff wellbeing –  71% of nurses surveyed said that receiving support from volunteers helped them feel less stress.  Although this survey focused on feedback from nursing staff, the implication that volunteers can support the wider NHS team and the services we offer shouldn’t be overlooked

Volunteers bring their own rich experiences and skills, building on the resources available in our organisation.  Volunteers also are part of our local community, helping us to build greater connections and reach people that we may not have been able to before.

Some of the volunteering roles that we offer at The Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust involve supporting activities or groups on our wards and in the community, gardening  and befriender roles which means offering additional support to inpatients who may feel isolated.  Details of these roles and how to apply for them will be made available on  our website (www.nsft.nhs.uk) during Volunteers Week and beyond.

I’m so excited to relaunch our volunteering service during National Volunteers Week, when volunteering and the associated benefits are given deserved focus across the country. The 5 July will be another important date for us as it marks the 75^th anniversary of the creation of the NHS. A chance to for everyone to celebrate everything the NHS has, and continues to offer, and for those that work within it, including the work and support from an army of dedicated volunteers. It’ll provide another opportunity for people to find out how they can help their local community and make a difference to the people around them. 

NHS England have recently released guidance for working with people and communities under the Health and Care Act 2022, placing individuals and local communities at the heart of the NHS and emphasis on the importance of getting involved to enable a more joined up and collaborative system that works for everyone.  Volunteering can be a great way to be a part of this.

I’d highly recommend volunteering in mental health, I’m sure our volunteers would too. If you would like to join us as we support the mental health needs of our communities across both Norfolk and Suffolk please do look at our website www.nsft.nhs.uk or email volunteer@nsft.nhs.uk. Our team will be pleased to hear from you. Sarah Briggs, Voluntary Services Coordinator at The Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.