Social prescribing and volunteering are deeply connected. Volunteers help sustain many of the community activities, groups and services that link workers connect people to. Volunteering itself can also be a social prescribing opportunity for people to find connection, purpose and improved wellbeing.
During Volunteer’s Week (1st-7th June), we are celebrating and recognising the contributions of volunteers and the voluntary sector, both in delivering many of the services patients are referred to and in offering activities that boost self-esteem and foster a sense of purpose.
The Bury GP Federation is one of many social prescribing services working closely with volunteers, who help in supporting the health and wellbeing of thousands of patients. Their regular volunteers actively help the social prescribing team’s social drop-ins, mental health and learning disabilities events, walks, arts and sports, and connecting individuals with nature and outdoor activities.
Not only are these volunteers hugely valuable to the community, but many find the experience highly enjoyable and rewarding. Ann Hadfield, who serves tea and cakes at a weekly Prestwich drop-in at St Hilda’s Church, said that volunteering helped her after the sudden death of her husband, Steve.
“Volunteering is more than simply supporting other people. For me it’s been a life-saver. It’s improved my mental health and is helping me find my feet again. It’s given me a purpose.”
Another volunteer at the Unsworth Gardening Group, Geoff Garner, agrees:Â
“Volunteering with the Unsworth Gardening Group has boosted my mental and physical health. While it’s a joy to grow herbs, flowers and vegetables for people to enjoy, being involved is also a joy for me.” Â
Geoff explained that after losing a long-term job, he became reliant on food banks and felt he was at “an all-time low.” Becoming involved with drop-in sessions run by the social prescribing team helped restored his confidence, develop his CV, and has been instrumental in helping him secure work. Geoff added:
“I was helped by volunteers at my lowest, so I believe in helping others. I’ve first-hand experience of how life can be tough, so I’m happy to listen to people. Volunteering time and skills is something everyone can do, and it can make such a difference.”
Getting involved in volunteering
Volunteering plays a vital role connecting people, strengthening communities and supporting people to live healthier and more fulfilled lives. One way to connect people to brilliant volunteering opportunities in health is to use the NHS Volunteering website. The website exists to make it easier for more people to get involved in healthcare volunteering.
This free resource helps people find volunteering opportunities in their local area, understand what’s available and take their first steps into volunteering. It also enables NHS organisations and VCSE partners to advertise their health volunteering roles in one national, trusted place and reach new audiences.
Volunteers come from many different backgrounds and stages of life. For example, a youth volunteering programme at his local hospital led Aditya to volunteering in the neurology ward at the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, working as a guide. He helped to settle people in and put them at ease by talking to them about life outside of the hospital, and helping them to fill out questionnaires about how the service could be improved. Now pursuing a career in medicine and looking back on his experience, Aditya said:
“One of the best things about volunteering was the people I met – my fellow volunteers. Before I started, I thought everyone would be prospective students like me. But I quickly learned that the volunteers come from all walks of life and are at different stages in their careers. I had such a varied team, and everyone got along so well.
But as well as learning new skills, volunteering can have a positive impact on your mental health. Helping someone, knowing you’ve made their day slightly better, can make a big difference to how you feel at the end of the day.
My advice to anyone is to sign up to as many opportunities as you can. Even if you get an opportunity but don’t know much about it, just try it. Nothing is easy at the start, but that’s good because you can learn from it and develop different skills.”
- If you support people who are interested in volunteering locally, please signpost them to the NHS Volunteering website.
- If you work for an NHS organisation or VCSE organisation that recruits volunteers, visit these information pages to find out how to advertise your volunteering opportunities on the NHS Volunteering website.Â
