Volunteering for Health Norfolk and Waveney is a project exploring new ways to bring the benefits of volunteering to everyone, especially those who might not usually take part. The project aims to:
- Encourage new volunteers
- Value existing volunteers and volunteer managers
- Help more health and social care organisations get involved
Why we need this project
Volunteering is a fantastic way to improve health, wellbeing, and strengthen communities, as well as support health and social care services. However, volunteering is declining in Norfolk and Waveney, and research shows people want to volunteer differently. We therefore need some new approaches to support long-term volunteering in health and social care. We also need to attract more diverse and younger people. By the end of our project, we hope to show the positive impact of volunteering on healthcare, wellbeing, and employability, justifying the need for further investment.
What’s in it for you
For volunteers:
If you’re interested in volunteering in health and social care, such as helping out at a GP’s surgery, supporting patients in hospitals, or befriending an older person in your community, visit our Get InVOLved website. Find lots of opportunities to develop and grow as a volunteer by finding learning opportunities here https://www.getinvolvedskills.org.uk/.
For VCSE organisations:
The new Get InVOLved Skills website is there to support your skills development around recruiting and managing volunteers https://www.getinvolvedskills.org.uk/. What’s more, if you have great ideas and are keen to try out new ways of inspiring and supporting people with learning disabilities, autism, and looked-after children into volunteering, visit our Get Involved Innovation Fund https://www.getinvolvedskills.org.uk/get-involved-innovation-fund.
For health and social care organisations:
If you work in health and social care and want to boost your skills in recruiting and managing volunteers, visit our Get Involved Skills site, for information on best practice and case studies https://www.getinvolvedskills.org.uk/. If you’re a health and social care organisation, like a GP practice, and completely new to volunteering, we will be able to offer you even more advice and support. For more information and to get involved, contact us at nwicb.volunteering@nhs.net
Our partnership
This is a partnership project under the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System, including:
- Community Action Norfolk
- Community Action Suffolk
- Institute of Volunteering at the University of East Anglia
- Norfolk County Council
- Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board
- Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust
- Voluntary Norfolk
Our partnership
We received a £540,000 from the national Volunteering for Health programme, delivered in partnership between NHS England, NHS Charities Together, and CW+, the official charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The project will run until summer 2027.
Volunteering for Health Blogs
Our Volunteering for Health Blog shares learning and insights from our programme throughout the year.
Curious about how volunteering infrastructure facilitates a real difference in health and care? You’re in the right place.
Meet the team
Jules Alderson is a Programme Manager with the Health Inequalities & VCSE Partnering team for Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board. With a decade of experience working in the voluntary sector before joining the NHS in 2019 Jules has extensive experience of volunteer management and volunteering strategy at both organisational and system level.
Jules is a keen advocate for volunteering as an enabler of health equity and opportunity within our communities, particularly for those traditionally less likely to access volunteering. This belief informs Jules’s commitment to and ambitions for the Volunteering for Health programme in Norfolk and Waveney.
When not volunteering for local charities BUILD or Hospital Radio Norwich, Jules will most likely be found at her allotment or in the company of a good book.