About Volunteering for Health

For volunteers:  

If you’re interested in volunteering in health and social care, such as helping out at a GP’s surgery or community pharmacy, or befriending an older person in your community search our opportunities here, and look out for new ones that will be posted in the coming months. 

This new platform will be featuring an ever-increasing range of opportunities to develop and grow as a volunteer. 

For VCSE organisations:  

If you have great ideas and are keen to try out new ways of inspiring and supporting people with learning disabilities, autism, and looked-after children into volunteering you can talk to us about applying to the new Get InVOLved Innovation Fund. Email [email protected]

And this new platform will be featuring an ever-increasing range of opportunities to support your skills development around recruiting and managing volunteers, including on the Resources page.  

For health and social care organisations:  

If you’re a health and social care organisation, like a GP or dentistry practice or community pharmacy, and are completely new to volunteering, we will be able to offer you advice and support. For more information and to get involved, contact us at [email protected]   

If you work in health and social care and want to boost your skills in recruiting and managing volunteers, look out for the opportunities listed on this platform. 

Why we need this project  

There is overwhelming evidence that volunteering can be good for volunteers’ wellbeing, and particularly benefits people who may experience lower levels of wellbeing. It is also a way to create stronger and more inclusive communities, as well as support health and care services.  

However, volunteering is declining in Norfolk and Waveney, and research shows people want to volunteer differently. We therefore need some new approaches to support long-term volunteering and attract more diverse and younger people. 

Our partnership  

This is a partnership project under the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System, including:  

• Community Action Norfolk  
• Community Action Suffolk  
• Institute of Volunteering at the University of East Anglia 
• Norfolk County Council  
• Norfolk Integrated Care Board 
• Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust  
• Voluntary Norfolk  

Our Funding  

We received a £540,000 from the national Volunteering for Health programme, delivered in partnership between NHS England, NHS Charities Together, and CW+, the official charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The project will run until summer 2027.