Over half a million volunteers have signed up to support the NHS in helping vulnerable people who are in self-isolation during the coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday, UK’s health secretary, Matt Hancock, launched a call for 250,000 people in England to help support the NHS response to the COVID-19 crisis. In the hours after the announcement, roughly five people per second registered in the new volunteering scheme.
Impressively, they almost made their target overnight, with 170,000 volunteers who had pledged support. As the day went on, the goal was smashed with more than 504,000 volunteers. “That is already, in one day, as many people as the population of Coventry,” commented Boris Johnson in a press conference.
On Wednesday morning, the national medical director of NHS England said he was amazed by the astonishing amount of people willing to help. “Yesterday we sent out a call to arms for an army of NHS volunteers, looking for a quarter of a million volunteers, and I can say that overnight we’ve already had 170,000 people sign up … It’s an absolutely astonishing response,” he said.
The overwhelming number of volunteers who quickly responded to help has prompted the NHS to expand its target to recruit 750,000 helpers. The volunteers who have already registered will start helping out next week.
In the UK, the COVID-19 death toll rose to 422 people as of March 25th at 10.10 am. These figures prompted the government to call on fit and healthy adults to deliver essential supplies such as medicines and food to nearly 1.5M vulnerable people, drive them home after being released from hospitals and make daily phone calls to those in self-isolation. Their help is in high demand as that number of deaths quickly rose to 465 people as of 4.14 pm on March 26th.
Up to 12,000 retired NHS staff came forward to rejoin the frontline following a separate call for help. At the ExCel center in east London, the government will set up a makeshift hospital with capacity for 4,000 beds.
People who want to join the scheme can choose from four different roles, including:
- As a community response volunteer, which involves collecting medication, shopping, or other vital supplies for vulnerable people who are self-isolating, and delivering these supplies to their home.
- As a patient transport volunteer, which includes driving released patients to their homes, and NHS transport volunteers will move equipment, medication, or supplies between sites.
- As a volunteer who will provide support calls to older people who are in isolation and at risk of loneliness or depression.
To be a volunteer, you must be over 18-years-old, be fit and healthy, and able to pass an enhanced DBS check. The volunteers will be directed to tasks through a responder app that they can switch on and off to say when they are “on duty” or unavailable.
The secretary of housing and communities, Robert Jenrick, said:
I know there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people out there who would like to support us during this time and support the NHS. There will be lots of different opportunities available from helping deliver medicines and food to the elderly and vulnerable who we’re asking to stay at home, being volunteer drivers to get supplies to the frontline or to take people into hospital, or working in hospitals obviously in non-clinical roles.
Jenrick clarifies that he will keep volunteers safe, and they will receive proper training, support, and equipment that they will need to carry out the tasks.
