BVSC awarded a grant as part of Volunteering for Health Programme
Together with Birmingham Community Healthcare Charity, BVSC has been awarded a grant as part of Volunteering for Health - a £10 million programme being delivered in partnership by NHS England, NHS Charities Together and CW+, the official charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Volunteering for Health aims to maximise the benefits of volunteers as a vital resource in delivering health and social care nationally and locally, whilst strengthening volunteering infrastructure.
The programme is part of NHS England’s response to the NHS Volunteering Taskforce which brought together health charities, volunteers, clinicians, civil servants and policy makers. The Taskforce published its recommendations in June 2023, concluding that more can be done nationally and locally to maximise the benefits of volunteers and volunteering in the NHS.
BVSC was one of 15 partnerships across the UK to successfully bid for funding. Partnerships are made up of voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations, NHS Trusts, integrated care boards (ICBs), local authorities (LAs) and NHS charities.
Grants were awarded to applicants who were able to demonstrate how they intended to break down barriers, test new models and develop guidance and best practice that can be shared across the NHS and beyond.
The funding will support an essential mapping project across Birmingham and Solihull to better understand the current volunteering landscape in the health sector. This will guide our recommendations for improving access to meaningful health volunteering opportunities. We also plan to develop new volunteer roles tailored to meet the changing nature of volunteering and the evolving needs of the health sector, with a focus on addressing health inequalities in underrepresented groups and communities and effectively involving young people in volunteering. These roles will provide volunteers with valuable skills and experience and a better understanding of the NHS.
Brian Carr, Chief Executive Officer at BVSC said: “BVSC understands the importance of volunteering for our city; volunteers are agents of change who make things happen, often helping to deliver vital services. For these reasons, BVSC has invested in Birmingham’s Vision for Volunteering, which sets out an aspirational view of how we would like volunteering in the city to look by 2027. We are delighted to have the opportunity to build on this work through the Volunteering for Health Programme and to partner with the NHS locally to develop exciting new volunteering opportunities which appeal to people from a diverse range of backgrounds."
Paul Athey, Chief Finance Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at NHS Birmingham and Solihull said: “Every day right across Birmingham and Solihull our volunteers make an invaluable difference to the lives of staff, patients and the running of services. I’d like to thank them for their time, insight and compassion and hope that through this programme we can build on our new offer for staff and volunteers and strengthen the structure and opportunities available to volunteers.”
Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer for England, said: “Volunteers, as partners with our skilled staff, make a significant contribution across NHS and care services and positively impact the lives of many people.
“There are currently more than 300 ways that people can volunteer for the NHS, ranging from running a hospital radio show to helping combat loneliness. This programme will further harness the power of volunteering for the benefit of patients, staff and communities.”
The grant will be paid in instalments over the next three years, until the end of June 2027. BVSC will receive an initial payment for the development phase, with an ambition to begin delivering the programme by March 2025.
Search ‘NHS Volunteering’ or visit volunteering.england.nhs.uk/volunteer to find out more about how to become an NHS volunteer.