Health

Redthreadruns a Youth Violence Intervention Programme project based in A&E departments in London. It embeds specialist youth workers in the emergency departments of major trauma centres to break the cycle of violence.

Dental charity Dentaid is tackling toothache and oral problems around the world, using mobile units to treat vulnerable people in the UK and sending volunteers and portable dental surgeries called DentaidBoxes to refugee camps in Calais, Greece and parts of Africa. It relies on a network of volunteers.

Living Streets is a national charity for everyday walking. It encourages and helps people to walk more. It works with schools, community groups and councils to help improve local infrastructure to make it easier for people to walk . 

• New report urges voluntary sector to build on pandemic progress by considering flexibility in the job design of all charity roles.
• Report makes six recommendations to help charities make flexible working the default position for employment in the sector.
• Umbrella bodies encourage organisations to share stories of how flexibility is working so that best practice, learning and inspiration is easily available in the sector – building confidence and reducing stigma.

The voluntary sector needs to lead the way on flexible working and advertise all roles as flexible, with employers encouraging open conversations about how it can work in their organisation. That’s according to a new report, 'Time to Flex', being launched by voluntary sector membership bodies NCVO and ACEVO, with support executive search firm Starfish Search.

Good Gym combines doing good with running and getting fit. Volunteers stop off on runs to do physical tasks for community organisations and support isolated older people with social visits and one-off tasks, such as changing a lightbulb, doing some gardening or moving furniture.

The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) works with thousands of people across the UK, helping them to discover, improve and enjoy their local green spaces and by doing so create happier and healthier communities.

Call&Check is a scheme launched by the Jersey Post Office in which postal workers check on the welfare of more elderly or vulnerable people and pass on any concerns to the individual’s contacts and support network. The government announced in 2018 it was taking up the model to use as part of its loneliness strategy.

Mercy Ships runs the largest civilian hospital ship in the world, providing free, safe surgery on its hospital ship and in land-based programmes in some of the world’s poorest countries. The charity also trains local medical workers and refurbishes hospitals and clinics in order to leave a legacy of improved healthcare.

Here's a selection of some of the ways volunteers are complementing the work of the NHS. 

Maternity Mates in East London recruit, train and match-up volunteer Maternity Mates with pregnant women in need of extra support in Tower Hamlets, Newham and Waltham Forest, with plans to expand into other London boroughs, and then a nationwide service. 

Royal Free Charity, Young Volunteer Programme offers a selection of roles for younger people, whether they want to pursue a career in healthcareor want to give back to their local hospital.  They currently have 250 young volunteers split between the Royal Free (150) and Barnet & Chase Farm (100) hospitals.

PlusBus for Health is a door-to-door, wheelchair-accessible transport service developed by charity Ealing Community Transport that helps patients travel between their homes and GP surgeries.