At the onset of the pandemic, however, the visibility of the volunteer sector was truly brought into the fore.
Within days of the first lockdown, the Royal Voluntary Service put out a call for volunteers to help ease the burden on the NHS and social care sector. A staggering 750,000 people signed up to the scheme to support those in need, carrying out non-medical tasks such as collecting prescriptions and grocery shopping.
A local solution
Recognising the urgent need for a service to connect local vulnerable people and volunteers, Essex County Council commissioned us to launch the Covid-19 Welfare Platform. Developed and mobilised within seven days, the platform enabled the most vulnerable across Essex to register a request for support and allowed volunteers to register their offer of help. Health and social care professionals could then, in real-time, match volunteers to requests for support via the platform.
To date, over 9,000 vulnerable people across the county have received support from over 3,000 volunteers via the Covid-19 Welfare Platform, which has since been developed to support all Essex residents with easy access and referral to the lifestyle and community services they need.
More than just giving back
Volunteering is not only important to those who need support, it can also provide many benefits for the person volunteering too. The chance to connect with others and make a positive difference can help to build self-confidence and improve mental health.
Volunteering is at the heart of the NHS social prescribing approach to health and wellbeing, with an increasing number of GPs and other professionals referring patients to community-focused activities and resources delivered and organised by volunteers.
As members of the Social Prescribing Network, we recognise how the empowering role of Social Prescribing is enabling people to take greater control of their health and wellbeing.
Our proprietary PDH platform – which responds in real-time – connects patients with a range of local, non-clinical interventions, including volunteering opportunities, through nationally-accredited, holistic assessments online.
Volunteering and social prescribing very much go hand in hand. As we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, with even more pressure on our health services and public sector bodies, the role of digital in streamlining and speeding up support is needed more than ever; with volunteering and social prescribing playing an important role in that.
