Volunteers needed to support Manchester Royal Infirmary through winter crisis

National health and wellbeing charity, Royal Voluntary Service is today calling on people in Manchester to volunteer and see their community and local NHS through the winter crisis safely.

Every year, pressures on the NHS increase during winter, but after almost two years of working through pandemic conditions, our health services and staff are being pushed to the limits.

Royal Voluntary Service is urgently mobilising and recruiting volunteers in Manchester to ease capacity and demand pressures at Manchester Royal Infirmary.

Volunteers are needed to support vulnerable people after a hospital stay, and to help them recover safely at home.

These vital Home from Hospital and community support volunteering roles include collecting people after their stay in hospital, preparing their home for their return, providing transport for follow up appointments, assisting with grocery shopping, collecting prescriptions and helping to re-build their confidence, for up to four weeks after their return home.

By helping people to recover safely at home, volunteers are not only supporting the health of people in their community, but also the wellbeing of their local NHS, by freeing up space and time in hospitals.

Royal Voluntary Service is one of Britain’s largest volunteering charities with volunteers supporting the NHS and thousands of vulnerable people in the community.

The charity has delivered the NHS Volunteer Responders programme for NHS England enabled by the GoodSAM app with volunteers responding to over 2 million requests for help and supporting with over 230,000 shifts at vaccination sites.

The charity has also worked in local communities through the crisis running home libraries, companionship support, home from hospital services and patient transport. 

“As requests for help from the vulnerable and the NHS are rapidly increasing, we need more volunteers to help us provide crucial support in Manchester,” said Jennifer Scott, Royal Voluntary Service in Manchester.

“Any time you can offer will go a long way to easing NHS pressure and protecting the health of your community.

“It’s an incredibly rewarding thing to do and we would love to welcome you to our team of amazing volunteers in Manchester.”

Those looking to apply for volunteer roles to assist and protect the NHS by supporting the most vulnerable patients to stay safe and well can do so at royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk.