Towards a strategy to support volunteering in health and social care - response from Volunteering England
Volunteering England is very pleased that the contribution of volunteers to the NHS and wider public services is recognised in the development of this national strategy for Volunteering in Health and Social Care. We believe the strategy will enhance current arrangements made by individual NHS Trusts and will support the dissemination of good practice nationally and the collection and application of robust and standardised data.
We are pleased to see recognition of the important role of managers of volunteers and the need to support the development of their skills. We welcome the understanding that volunteering isn't cost free - there's a need to support volunteers through providing relevant training and support and ensuring their expenses are covered.
We think this new strategy will be a significant move forward in helping Commissioners develop evaluation processes which measure the outcomes and impact of volunteering. This will in turn lead to a better understanding of the benefits volunteering can have on their wider strategic objectives such as enhancing care for patients and other service users and reducing health inequalities.
