NHS Volunteer Responders update 23 rd June 2020

NHS Volunteer Responders update 23 rd June 2020 NHS England NHS Improvement

NHS Volunteer Responders Scheme Aims The NHS Volunteer Responders Scheme aims: 1. To help any vulnerable people who are self-isolating (those who have been asked to shield and those most at risk) to stay safe whilst staying at home during the Covid 19 pandemic. NHS Volunteer Responders will help with tasks such as collecting shopping or prescribed medication, driving people to medical appointments, transporting essential equipment and supplies, or helping alleviate loneliness via telephone support. 2. To support the NHS and healthcare economy to respond to the pressures on the system created by Covid-19, through a national volunteering effort. (And in doing so, protecting the NHS and its staff, by reducing the demand on services, including critical-care capacity). Developed as a back-up. To complement local provision and provide support in areas that needed it. 2 | NHS Volunteer Responder update

NHS Volunteer Responders are able to support people who are selfisolating, alongside local voluntary arrangements • NHS Volunteer Responders is a volunteer initiative is being delivered by NHS England NHS Improvement in partnership with Royal Voluntary Service and enabled by the Good. Sam Responders app • 750, 000 volunteers signed up in the first week, in late March. • As a ‘micro volunteering’ programme volunteers choose when to be on duty and when to be off duty. Numbers on duty therefore vary each week ranging from 150 k-200 k The support of NHS Volunteer Responders is available to anyone who is self isolating for any reason and to frontline health and care staff 3 |

How do Volunteer Responders help? Volunteer Responders support vulnerable individuals through one of the following four roles: • NHS Volunteer Responders are an additional emergency resource to complement local provision in this time of crisis • Referrals for support can be from any health professional, local authority, charity or social care provider through www. goodsamapp. org/NHSreferral; self-referrals can also now be made • A Call Centre supports enquiries from referrers and volunteers Community Response Volunteer Plus for clients with cognitive impairments and or significant vulnerabilities 4 | Check in and Chat Plus for clients who need a regular volunteer and a bit more support – new development

Check in and chat (plus) • Check in and chat role proving to contribute to reducing loneliness… But, safeguarding team taking numerous calls from people who need more regular companionship • Check in and chat plus recently launched: • Regular peer support (only available to those in the shielding population themselves to apply to) • Regular companionship • Signposting to other support where needed e. g. Samaritans, Mind, Cruse, Break, IAPT etc. • Same volunteer providing up to 3 calls per week over up to 10 weeks • Additional training being provided to volunteers by Mental Health First Aid England Zero Suicide Alliance • Role being introduced gradually – initially 100 spaces per week 5 | “Had a chat today with a lady in her 80’s. She told me today is a better day but she has ¾ dark days where depression has overwhelmed her. She is blind, she has friends that bring her shopping once a week but apart from this and the calls she receives from us, she has next to no human contact. ” “I’m utterly grateful to the scheme. It has been a lifesaver and psychologically seen me through 80 days of shielding. But I need to be an equal partner and not a recipient on my gratitude. 300, 000 shielders are working age adults – the scheme needs to adapt to their needs. ”

Cumulative Referrals to date • Combined self referral numbers now exceed any other individual category, with Local Authority and GP categories being the next largest. • As of 23 rd June, 16291 referrals from local authorities, 570 from social care providers • The rate of referrals has varied widely, with highest use in areas such as Middlesborough, Skegness, Boston, Worksop, Hastings etc. 6 Footnote: | NHSgranularity Volunteer Responder update From 20 April 2020 greater was captured in regards to the referral source.

Support Provided to date • Over 400, 000 tasks completed to date (23 rd June) 7 | NHS Volunteer Responder update

Approved referrer vs. self referral Becoming an approved referrer Passing on the self referral number • Email england. covid-communities@nhs. net to ask to become an approved referrer • For organisations that do not have a close working relationship with their clients / members but might come across vulnerable people who need support e. g. helplines • This means you can arrange support for your clients directly or for your service • Referrals can then be made for clients you work with through www. goodsamapp. org/NHSreferral of call 0808 196 3382 • Instant referral – live matching which provides support quickly • Your details entered as the referrer – if there any safeguarding queries, RVS will call you to help resolve 8 | • Pass the self referral number to clients that need support: 0808 196 3646 (8 am-8 pm) • The ‘patient’ is asked for their GP contact details when they self refer – if there any safeguarding queries, RVS will call their GP to help resolve

Choosing to use NHS Volunteer Responders A substantial amount of community activity is already happening at a local level through VCSE sector organisations and others. This provides valuable support and should continue. NHS Volunteer Responders is not designed to replace or divert resources from those services, but instead is an offer of local provision where this not in place or cannot be provided locally, particularly for those deemed at risk from Covid-19. Please do therefore continue to make use of your local schemes where they exist and consider how the you can use the NHS Volunteer Responder programme for additional support, or to make best use of local resources. Automatic search for on duty volunteers to make a volunteer match Referrers Health and social care practitioners Local authorities Pharmacists 9 | Identify individual who meets criteria and who would benefit from one of the volunteer support roles Ensure individual is aware of referral and has given their consent Visit goodsamapp. org/NHSreferral or call 0808 196 338 to request an NHS Volunteer Responder - identify specific task that patient requires and match to corresponding support role Receive email with login credentials and request to confirm referral; click on verification link to confirm referral Login to check status of referrals and cancel referrals if and when required If a volunteer match is not made, log request again at later date to search for new volunteers Use the portal to track when the individual receives support or to remove someone from the scheme if they no longer need assistance

Ensuring the right response and follow up Referrals should include: • Verbal consent to refer the patient (‘client’) for support from a volunteer • The clients name • The clients phone number • The clients address • To select the type of support required • To select how regularly the support is required • To make clear the priority • Your contact details What happens after a referral is made? • Once the referral is logged, ‘on duty’ volunteers in your area pick the job they want to do that day and close the task once complete 10 | • You can use the portal to track when the individual receives support. You can also use the portal or phone number to remove someone from the scheme if they no longer need assistance

Bulk referrals 11 | Slide created on 23 April 2020 - please check www. nhsvolunteerresponders. org. uk for up to date information

Safeguarding & wellbeing • 282 safeguarding and wellbeing calls were raised by Volunteer Responders to the Contact Centre and supported by Royal Voluntary Service (1. 9% of all calls answered). • Food poverty and psychological wellbeing remain the top issues/concerns raised. To note on safeguarding numbers: Some calls/emails are about the same clients. Therefore the numbers don’t reflect unique clients. 12 | NHS Volunteer Responder update Safeguarding Definition: Additional checks required because a concern/issue flagged by referrer, volunteer or client. There are six categories of client risk: 1. managing ok 2. at risk of becoming in need 3. wellbeing concern 4. at risk: in need 5. in need of involving community support 6. emergency response.

The Future • Some local authority programmes being rolled back – we can help support if needed • More roles being determined locally • Better partnership working • Potential of micro-volunteering • Introduction to volunteering – quick, little commitment • Opportunities for different roles 13 | Slide created on 23 April 2020 - please check www. nhsvolunteerresponders. org. uk for up to date information “I’m hoping to carry on volunteering. Some of the people I have shopped for are literally the most vulnerable people I have met. One gentleman never gets out due to his health (unless Patient Transport Services take him to hospital appointments). Volunteers have changed his life; he now sees more people regularly and loves to chat. Until you’ve been a volunteer and actually met and spoken to these lovely people you really don’t understand just how much people like us are needed and valued. ”

How could you make best use of NHS Responders? Any ideas? Any concerns? Do you need anything additional to support you? Any opportunities for local volunteer roles going forward? Any ideas? Have you used a responder already? …. would you be interested in sharing your experience as a case study? Would your service like to be part of a short case study about how referrers are making use of NHS Volunteer Responders? England. covid-communities@nhs. net 14 |