Volunteers are helping in the current situation with swine flu; but Volunteering England points out that volunteers need to be supported and co-ordinated to be effective. As individual volunteers will need some induction and training and, for some roles, a CRB check , it is likely that organisations will ask some of their existing volunteers to take on roles in the flu pandemic, such as acting as ‘flu friends’ or helping in distribution centres for anti-flu drugs.
Volunteering England understands there appear to be inconsistencies across the country about what is expected of 'flu friends’: some NHS Trusts say that a 'flu friend’ can post Tamiflu through the letterbox, whereas other Trusts are requiring the individual to hand over the drugs and obtain a receipt, which is more complex and requires guidance to the volunteer.
Some Volunteer Centres are involved in supporting the NHS in combating swine flu by recruiting volunteers for roles such as 'flu friends’ and, once mass immunisation starts, as ‘meeters and greeters’ in centres for distributing anti-viral drugs. Our information so far is that they are not so much recruiting new volunteers, but are more likely to be recruiting from volunteers who are already known to them or their partner agencies. These individuals will have already been provided references and, in some cases, undergone a CRB check to volunteer with children and vulnerable adults, and so they are being asked if they are prepared to take on an additional role. Where a Volunteer Centre is involved in recruiting volunteers, it is often where there is already a relationship between the Volunteer Centre and the local Primary Care Trust. To find out what services are being offered in each area it is best to contact your local Volunteer Centre; this can be located using the volunteer centre finder on the Volunteering England website. www.volunteering.org.uk
The British Red Cross is already supporting the Department of Health ‘flu friends’ initiative, and its volunteers in England and Wales are providing a ‘flu friend’ service to those individuals who do not have family, friends or work colleagues to pick up anti-viral medication for them. They are also providing a 'flu friends plus’ service for individuals who need additional help such as fetching food. There are particular areas where there is a higher demand for 'flu friends’, such as in rural areas where people are more isolated, and the British Red Cross continues to work with refugees and vulnerable migrant communities to assist them gaining access to Department of Health flu services if required. It is also in discussion with a number of Primary Care Trusts to provide a local flu support line.
The British Red Cross will also keep under review the impact the pandemic is having on the maintenance of its existing services and how these would be maintained in the event of reduced staff levels.
NHS Primary Care Trusts may be able to offer a similar ‘flu friends’ service if they already have in-house volunteers, or volunteer-involving organisations that are already contracted to work with them. Other organisations that already have volunteers which may be prepared to take on this role include NHS Acute Trusts and WRVS.
The WRVS is currently working with organisations at local level to assess where and when it can assist, either as flu friends, in anti-viral distribution centres or, when needed, in mass immunisation centres.
WRVS is happy to work with other voluntary agencies and Primary Care Trusts to assist in these roles but is aware of their duty of care to staff and volunteers. They have identified critical services, for example meal delivery to the elderly, need to continue delivering regardless of the swine flu pandemic.
WRVS is having an internal recruitment campaign to ensure that volunteers from all departments within WRVS is offered the chance to help out in this pandemic, including, if it becomes necessary to close any projects following advice to avoid gatherings, the delivery of meals to those who would not normally have home delivery of meals but who might get their only hot meals from a community centre or luncheon club.
Once mass immunisation starts, organisations like WRVS and British Red Cross are most likely to be involved in supporting mass immunisation centres, as their volunteers are already trained to provide administrative and practical and emotional support at Rest Centres in the aftermath of an emergency.
As well as the people who volunteer formally through British Red Cross, WRVS, local volunteer centres and other organisations, many people will be ‘flu friends‘ - or get the shopping and so on – directly for a friend or neighbour, demonstrating some of the ways in which people on an individual as well as organised basis rally round and help out in a crisis.
For more information contact:
Volunteer Centres http://www.volunteering.org.uk/finder
The British Red Cross
www.redcross.org.uk
WRVS
www.WRVS.org.uk
