Volunteers praised for support of NHS

Volunteers have given up thousands of hours of their time in a huge variety of roles across the health service, including at vaccination centres.

Between October 1 last year and March 31, volunteers across the country gifted a total of 109,010 hours of their time to support others.

The figure was revealed in the Healthcare Improvement Scotland- Community Engagement NHSScotland Volunteering Programme Annual Report 2021-22, released to coincide with Volunteers’ Week, which runs until June 7.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland is a national organisation focused on ensuring that everyone across the country has the best possible health and care. The organisation delivers the NHSScotland Volunteering Programme for the Scottish Government.

Volunteers are involved in a huge range of activities to boost existing services, including as volunteer drivers, ward volunteers, meet and greet volunteers and vaccination centre helpers.

Ruth Jays, community engagement director, said: “Volunteering is a crucial part of NHSScotland and I’d like to thank everyone who has donated their time for the benefit of others. Volunteers are the unsung heroes of NHSScotland, and now is the ideal time to recognise all that they do.”