The Value of Volunteering for Health
BCHC Charity has been awarded a grant as part of the Volunteering for Health programme - a programme being delivered in partnership by NHS England, NHS Charities Together and CW+, the official charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
The programme aims to harness the power of volunteering for health and social care nationally and locally and, together with the Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC), BCHC Charity has been awarded funding to work on the project within Birmingham and Solihull (BSOL).
Volunteering for Health aims to boost the benefits of volunteers as a vital resource to health and social care services, whilst strengthening volunteering infrastructure within those services. The funding will support BCHC Charity & the BVSC in completing an essential mapping project across Birmingham to help understand the current feeling around volunteering in healthcare, to help create a plan 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. 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… 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.”
Sarah Binks, Charity Manager for BCHC Charity said, “Our Volunteer Co-Ordinator Vanisha Mistry has done an excellent job at building up the corporate fundraising programme within BCHC Charity, and now is the perfect opportunity to take this further and look at how individual volunteers can support our patients and their carers through a range of health equity initiatives across the Trust.”
Becky Issac, Vision for Volunteering Implementation Manager at BVSC, says of volunteering, “BVSC colleagues had a fantastic time volunteering with BCHC Charity in August 2024. It was a valuable opportunity to work together as a team while making a positive impact beyond the office. We recommend BCHC’s corporate volunteering programme to employees looking to come together to give back and support the work of an outstanding local charity.” Find out more about corporate volunteering with BCHC Charity.