Impact stories
Former roofer backs ‘Volunteer To Career’ scheme aiding stretched NHS workforce
A former Suffolk roofer who moved from a hospital volunteering role into a frontline healthcare career is backing a proven scheme that helped realise his dream – and could be key to easing NHS workforce pressures.
Bradford mum backs ‘Volunteer to Career’ scheme aiding stretched NHS workforce
A Bradford mum-of-two who has moved from a hospital volunteering role towards a frontline healthcare career is backing a scheme that has helped realise her dream – and could be key to easing NHS workforce pressures.
How Volunteer to Career has put Matt on a path to becoming a paramedic
At 33, Matt Sharp, a Community First Responder (CFR) volunteer with East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST), has successfully secured a role as a qualified Emergency Care Assistant (ECA). Matt’s ambition is to become a fully qualified paramedic and credits the Helpforce Volunteer to Career programme as being a primary driver behind his success so far.
Malcolm's journey with the Millbrook community hub
Malcolm found community support that transformed his life with Parkinson's, cancer and dementia. Discover how volunteers help people thrive and support the NHS.
Volunteer Drivers have changed Niccola’s life
Before the volunteer driver scheme began supporting her, Niccola relied on ambulance transport. While grateful, she often faced long waits due to high demand, adding stress and fatigue to an already challenging routine.
A lifeline in Cornwall: Sandy’s story
In the rural southeast corner of Cornwall, the villages of Millbrook and the Rame Peninsula form a close-knit community where connection is essential. For Sandy Dyer, 76, The Peninsula Trust Community Hub in Millbrook has become much more than a meeting place - it’s a vital source of support, friendship, and practical help.
Finding purpose again: How community support transformed one woman's life
For Tess Patten, life in Penzance had gradually narrowed to the four walls of her flat. After being medically retired at just 36, following 14 years as a hospital nurse, she found herself facing a series of personal and financial crises alone.
How the Helpforce Volunteer to Career programme boosts recruitment and retention at Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
The Helpforce Volunteer to Career (VtC) programme has boosted support for staff and patients at Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP) whilst simultaneously offering a career path and further training in healthcare for volunteers. Three volunteers now work within the Occupational Therapy Department at CWP as an Occupational Therapy Technical Instructor, Physiotherapy Assistant and Fitness Instructor.
How Friends of Moorfields turbocharged their volunteer service with Volunteer to Career
The Helpforce Volunteer to Career (VtC) programme gave the Friends of Moorfields volunteer service a framework to attract volunteers into exploring careers in health and care, ease pressures on hospital staff, and demonstrate the positive impact of volunteers to senior hospital leaders.
How Helpforce helped Barts Health NHS Trust expand their volunteer service
Thanks to extensive support and collaboration with Helpforce, Barts Health NHS Trust developed an agile and responsive volunteer service that can be scaled across other NHS trusts. The active response volunteer service can support many different departments, and volunteers at Barts are now deployed to areas of the hospital that need the most support. But how did they do it?
Kingston Hospital Volunteering Service – a continuing partnership and successful business case
Helpforce has had a long and strong partnership with the enterprising volunteering team at Kingston Hospital, helping them initially set up innovative services, then getting the data to show impact and how services could improve.
