Barbara Keeley Labour Member of Parliament for Worsley & Eccles South
NHS Volunteer Responders has been set up to support the NHS during the COVID-19 outbreak. An army of volunteers are needed to support the 1.5 million people in England who are the most at risk from the virus. Volunteers must be aged 18 or over, and be fit and well with no symptoms of Coronavirus. If you do become ill, you will be able to pause your volunteering.
Click here to join the team today. Once you have been registered and checks have been completed, you will be provided with a log-in to the GoodSAM Responder app. When you are free to help, switch the app to ‘on duty’, and you will see live and local volunteer tasks to pick in your area.
To ensure that people are adhering to Government guidance, responders may be required to show the active task they are carrying out if prompted. The majority of the volunteer tasks can be undertaken while social distancing. Volunteers will receive guidance with regard to carrying out tasks safely via a Getting Started pack.
There are four NHS Volunteer roles:
Community Response Volunteer: Collecting shopping, medication or other essential supplies for someone who is self-isolating, and delivering these supplies to their home.
Patient Transport Volunteer: Providing transport to patients who are medically fit for discharge, and ensuring that they are settled safely back in their home. These driving volunteers require an enhanced DBS check.
Check-In and Chat Volunteer: Providing short-term telephone support to individuals who are at risk of loneliness as a consequence of self-isolation. This support can be provided by people in higher-risk groups, including people aged over 70, pregnant people and people with underlying medical conditions.