1. Volunteer Innovators Programme
12th October 2018

2. What is Helpforce? Founded 2016 by Sir Tom Hughes-Hallett
Created for the benefit of the NHS, and the people within it: patients, staff, volunteers
Community Interest Company (CIC) - Not for profit
Board of NHS & Voluntary sector leaders
Joint funded by philanthropy / foundations and NHS England
“From the NHS, for the NHS”
Purpose: maximise the potential of volunteering in health & care

3. What is Helpforce? Staff Patients Our NHS Volunteer
“What I am seeing is…”
Patients better supported
Staff can focus on core role
Volunteers part of the team
More feedback on patients and how system is working
Role of volunteers valued and our ‘right hand’
Colleagues proposing new volunteer roles
“I get more…”
Time, attention & care
Company and conversation
Information
Assistance so I do not get weaker in hospital
Help getting out of hospital and back home quicker
Our NHS
Volunteer
“Our organisation has…”
Volunteering integral part of our strategy
Seen measurable benefit from investing in volunteer services
Improvements in patient & staff satisfaction
A greater connection with our local community
“We feel we have…”
Fulfilling, supported roles with purpose and impact
A range of opportunities
Smoother processes for joining, vetting & matching
Strong relationships with patients & staff
Greater recognition
More of a voice & say

4. Volunteering Innovators Programme
In partnership with NHS England, we are looking for NHS hospital trusts to help enhance and transform volunteering in and around hospital settings.
The ambition for this programme is to identify, enhance and spread a series of impactful volunteer services supporting the front-line of the NHS.
We are looking for services that improve the well-being and experience of patients, staff and volunteers or improve efficiency.

5. Expression of Interest and beyond...
All NHS hospital trusts in England are invited to submit an Expression of Interest (EoI).
All EoIs must be submitted by 9am on Wednesday 31st October. To do this, you will need to complete a short form on the Helpforce website. Multiple submissions per trust are accepted, as we look to understand what volunteer services are out there.
After Helpforce & NHS England prioritise submissions, Trusts will be invited to develop their proposal by completing document templates with further information on their innovation. This will need to be submitted by 9am on 5th December.
We will invite shortlisted Trusts to an interview with us in the week commencing 14th January. Selected Trusts will be announced by the end of January 2019.
All NHS trusts, not just the Selected Trusts, will be invited to be involved with Helpforce, and can benefit from the programme. Can join our national Learning Network and have access to other national solutions we are working on, e.g. National Volunteer training certificate

6. What happens after the EoI stage?

7. What are we looking for in a Volunteering Innovation?
Impact of service: what impact does (or could) the volunteer innovation have on patients, staff, volunteers and services?
Innovation and ambition: is the volunteer service innovation inspiring, with the potential to bring in more volunteers and get staff engaged?
Scalability: is this a service that can grow and develop locally, and could be applied in other locations or contexts?
We will also consider geographical and service spread.

8. Examples of volunteering service innovations ...
Prevention support (to reduce demand)
Emergency Department support
Mobility support for patients
Dementia care, long-term conditions, maternity, children & young people
End of Life support
Staff support (‘Bleep volunteers’)
Clinical areas
Transition: Discharge Transport and accompaniment
Transition: Community (including ‘hospital to home’)
We also welcome Expressions of Interest that showcase volunteer innovations which address health inequalities and highlight how volunteers can be used to support integrated and personalised care for people with long-term conditions and older people.

9. The offer to you... Support and guidance Grant funding
Tools and network

10. Our expectations... Buy-in and commitment Mindset and passion
Project management and governance

11. Submit an Expression of Interest (EoI)...
… Or two, or three!

12. What are some key points to consider
The lead applicant must be an NHS hospital trust based within England.
Please submit a separate EoI form for each innovation.
Idea for a new volunteer innovation that has not yet been developed? We would love to learn more about your ideas! Please do submit an EoI for your idea.
All EoIs must be submitted by 9am on Monday 31st October 2018

13. What if this programme isn’t for me?
NHS England have a practical guide for NHS providers on volunteer recruitment and management:
Helpforce have other non-financial offers for you to consider – Learning Network, National volunteer training programme, Digital solutions, help with recruiting young people
Further questions? Not to worry, you can us on