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I'm a volunteer

A guide for NHS Volunteer Responders

Thank you for being part of the NHS Volunteer Responder team. Your help is very important to the NHS and people who live in England during the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19). Even though the UK Government has published new advice about what people with health conditions can do, we still need your help to support people who might become very ill if they get coronavirus (COVID-19).

The NHS Volunteer Responder Programme will keep going until at least December 2020. This is because many people are still cautious about visiting crowded spaces, and some people still have to self-isolate.

Please put yourself ‘on duty’

On the GoodSAM app, please put yourself ‘on duty’ as often as you can.

However, if you’re not able to volunteer right now, you can switch your app to ‘off duty’ and re-join us when the time is right for you.

The support you provide is making a massive difference to people all across England and supporting the national effort to beat COVID-19.

Lots of people still need your help

More and more people are asking for help from the NHS Volunteer Responders because they need to protect themselves from coronavirus (COVID-19), or because they need to protect other people. The reasons include:

  • People who want to stay at home, or who need to avoid busier public spaces such as supermarkets
  • People with caring responsibilities (carers)
  • People who are self-isolating because they have been diagnosed with coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms
  • People who’ve been instructed to self-isolate by the Test and Trace service

The programme’s support services are also open to frontline health and care staff.

Information about how to carry out your role

Throughout the website, you’ll find lots of information to support you in carrying out your role.

We’ve included fact sheets, frequently asked questions, and links to other advice to support you in dealing with vulnerable people who you may meet in your role as a volunteer. As the NHS Volunteer Responders programme develops, we add new information to the frequently asked questions so you will find it helpful to check this section.

If you can’t find the answer to your question on this website, please ring our Support Team on 0808 196 3382 (8am to 8pm, 7 days a week).

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Community Response

You'll be supporting people by collecting and delivering shopping, medication and other essential supplies.

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Community Response Plus

You’ll collect and deliver shopping, medication and other essential supplies to people with a learning disability or who are vulnerable for another reason.

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Patient Transport

You’ll be providing vital transport to patients who need to be taken home from hospital, and to help people get to their medical appointments.

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NHS Transport

You’ll be taking equipment, supplies or medication between NHS services and sites. You may also be asked to help pharmacies deliver medications.

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Check In and Chat

You’ll be providing simple but important telephone support to people who may feel lonely.

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Check In and Chat Plus

If you’re shielding you can provide telephone support to other people who may also be protecting themselves by shielding, self-isolating or limiting contact with other people.

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Other ways you can help

You can find more ways to help other people with a range of other organisations near where you live.

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Fact sheets

You can find more information on the volunteer roles and carrying out your support safely in our fact sheets.

 

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Volunteer resources

This section includes links to training and advice to support you to carry out your volunteer roles.

 

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