The importance of The NHS Volunteer Data Collection

The NHS Volunteer Taskforce was established to stimulate transformational change in volunteering and strengthen links between volunteer programmes in and outside the NHS in England. Their report includes a set of recommendations to help take volunteering in health and care services to a new level, following the vital role of volunteering demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Published in 2023, the report commits to developing consistent and appropriate measures to track the number of NHS Volunteers to include the number of volunteers, the number of volunteering hours, who volunteers are and any trends.

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan is a comprehensive workforce plan for the NHS, putting staffing on a sustainable footing and improving patient care. It focuses on retaining existing talent and making the best use of new technology alongside the biggest recruitment drive in health service history.

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan makes clear the benefits the generous and significant support of volunteers and voluntary sector organisations bring to the NHS. Volunteers help improve services across the NHS, and support better outcomes for patients and the wellbeing of staff, but, as seen during the pandemic, also provide additional capacity and flexibility in how services are delivered. Volunteering can also improve people’s mental and physical health and gives them the opportunity to acquire skills that enhance their ability to gain employment and join the paid workforce. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan makes clear “we must do more to ensure staff, learners and volunteers have equal opportunity within a compassionate and inclusive culture."⁵

The NHS Volunteer Data Collection is deeply rooted in the fundamental values, pledges and responsibilities set out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

The NHS Long Term plan recognises the contribution of volunteers and makes several commitments regarding volunteering. Published in 2019, the plan sets out how to make the NHS fit for the future for patients, their families and our staff.   The plan makes clear that patients and staff alike will benefit from a doubling of the number of volunteers helping across the NHS enabling staff to deliver high-quality care that goes above and beyond core services, improve satisfaction and wellbeing ratings for staff, as well as volunteers and patients⁶ The also plan focuses on equality of volunteering opportunities.

The NHS Volunteer Data collection is deeply rooted in the fundamental values, pledges and responsibilities set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Section 149 of the Equality Act sets out that as public authorities, most NHS bodies must have regard to the PSED in the exercise of their functions. This would include in their approach to engaging volunteers. The PSED strengthens the general duty on employers not to discriminate or engage in other conduct prohibited under the Equality Act, requiring them positively to consider eliminating discrimination and advancing equality of opportunity for people with protected characteristics.

NHS England Equality Objective 6⁷  makes a clear commitment to improve, by reference to protected characteristics, the recruitment, retention, progression, development, and experience of staff in the NHS workforce; including: “To implement a framework for monitoring the number of volunteers across the NHS by reference to protected characteristics and any other relevant characteristic.”

Volunteering is referenced in the People Plan⁸ Published in 2021, the plan sets out actions to support transformation across the whole NHS. It focuses on how we must all continue to look after each other and foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, as well as take action to grow our workforce, train our people and work together differently to deliver patient care. The people plan makes clear that “systems and employers should review how volunteers can help support recovery and restoration and develop plans to enable and support volunteers who wish to move on to employment opportunities across the NHS to do so. This must include a focus on providing opportunities for hard-to-reach groups, such as people with learning disabilities.”

The NHS Volunteer Data collection is deeply rooted in the fundamental values, pledges and responsibilities set out in the NHS People Plan.

The NHS is founded on a core set of principles and values that bind together the diverse communities and people it serves – the patients and public – as well as the staff who work in it. The NHS Constitution establishes these principles and values for the NHS in England. It sets out the rights, to which all patients, communities and staff are entitled to, and the pledges and responsibilities which the NHS is committed to achieve, to ensure that the NHS operates fairly and effectively.

The NHS Constitution reiterates the rights of people using NHS services to healthcare that is free from discrimination; it also includes the rights of staff to a workplace that is free of discrimination, and the commitment of the NHS to putting this into practice.

The NHS Volunteer Data collection is deeply rooted in the fundamental values, pledges and responsibilities set out in the NHS Constitution.