Driving Support: Support for peoplewho are newly discharged from hospital, are waiting for admission to hospital or are being cared for on a virtual ward by transporting medicine or monitoring equipment. This can either be to the person at home or to another health site.
As a Driving Support Volunteer, you can support the following activities:
This guide will give you everything you need to get started with Driving Support. If you haven’t already, please see our Volunteer Checklist[2] to ensure you read everything necessary to give you the best possible start to your volunteering or watch our Learn More series[3] in our Skills Bank[4].
Inclusion
We are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds, communities, identities, and abilities. We value the diversity of our volunteers, the people we support and the unique experiences everyone brings.
As a volunteer, you will support a range of people in diverse communities and we ask that you make sure everyone feels welcomed, supported and valued for who they are.
Please watch our short introductory video on EDI principles[5] for access to the video and for more information on how you can support people with accessibility needs and learn about different backgrounds and communities visit the Inclusion Hub.[6]
Page last reviewed: 02 December 2024
Pick Up and Deliver
Pick Up and Deliver Volunteers support the NHS by delivering medications and or equipment to people recently discharged from hospital or in a virtual ward. This support allows them to return home promptly without having to wait for their medications in a hospital setting or get the care they need at home.
Support the NHS by delivering medications and or equipment to people recently discharged from hospital or in a virtual ward. This support allows them to return home promptly without having to wait for their medications in a hospital setting or get the care they need at home.
When supporting a virtual ward, you will be asked to collect or deliver medical equipment to people at their home, such as a remote monitor or a medical device. The equipment will be portable and can be handed over at the doorstep. All support must be concluded by 8pm, please don’t agree to any deliveries after this time.
For this activity you must not enter a person’s home.
Volunteers will either receivean urgent/same day support request which is a one-off request, if you have put yourself on duty in the GoodSAM App. Or volunteers can select individual shifts from the activities tab in the App for scheduled activities. Some hospital trusts will need to send an urgent support request, but many will use the shift option to schedule the pickups around planned patient discharges. For this activity it is important to look at the shifts available.
Short notice tasks that needs to be completed today (urgent). You will be given the information on where you need to go to collect and deliver within the app.
Advance notice future tasks which will be a shift task, a shift task is where you support for a period of time. This can involve one journey to one location, or multiple items delivered to multiple locations.
For one journey, date, time and location details will be given via the app
For multiple journeys, date and time will be given via the app. Whereas locations will be given on site.
Getting started
Before your first task
You must never administer any medication.
If you are calling a person you are supporting, ensure you withhold your number. This is to protect you from unsolicited calls and to ensure safeguarding procedures are followed. You can do this by dialling 141[7] for Android or #31#[8] for Apple before the person's number or go into your phone's settings. Do not click on the phone number within the task information without editing. You can read more about data protection and confidentiality[9] as well as safeguarding[10].
It is important to uphold the confidentiality of the person at all times. You may receive/hear personal information or details through conversations. All forms of personal information must be treated with respect and be handled in a highly confidential way.
Do not keep or store any contact details of the person you are delivering to.You will only need the postcode of the addresses you are delivering to, to claim expenses. Please do not write down or take any photographs of any other details of the address you have delivered to; this includes the house name or number and the client’s name.
Activity specific tips
Please follow the steps below to ensure safe delivery/collection of medication or equipment.
Collecting the delivery
Details of where to collect the medication or equipment will be in the activity information on the GoodSAM app. Go to the GoodSAM app[11] for more information.
If the task is a short notice task that needs to be completed on the day, the notification will include details of the collection and delivery addresses.
If the delivery is booked in advance as a shift, you will need to view these in the app and ‘accept’ to attend. This information will include the address of the hospital where you will start your shift. You will be provided with the delivery addresses on arrival at the hospital.
If you are delivering to multiple locations, we suggest you use your sat nav or a navigation app such as google maps for planning the most efficient delivery route.
Please keep details of the journey to inform your expense claim. (Postcode ONLY)
Upon arriving at the hospital, you will be asked to provide your GoodSAM ID.
Before you leave the hospital, make sure you have contact details for the hospital team/person which gave you the items to deliver. If at any time you are unsure of what to do with a delivery, call them for assistance and guidance.
On delivery
Please do not enter the person’s home.
All support must be concluded by 8pm, please don’t agree to any deliveries after this time.
Do not post the medication or equipment through the letterbox.
Deliveries must be completed on the same day you collected them.
Any medicines/deliveries that cannot be delivered must be returned to the hospital that day; you must not store other people's medicines overnight in your own home.
Do not open the bag of medicines to be handed over to the person; full details including name and delivery address will be on the external label of the package. (Do not record or hold onto this information – only a postcode is required for your expense claim)
Ask the person for their name and address and check this on the label.
Make sure you pass on any additional information provided by the hospital.
If the medicine package splits, or there’s a breakage, call the hospital contact team immediately for their advice.
Some people may have more than one package. When you collect the items check the number of packages for each person and ensure that all bags of medicines are delivered.
If the person has questions about the delivery, please advise them to contact the hospital.
People may have an item that will need to be returned to the hospital, for example a battery. Please return this on the same day.
Some medication may need to be stored in the fridge and you will be told this on collection. It is important to pass this information on to the individual. Any refrigerated medication must be delivered first.
If you experience any difficulties while you’re volunteering or face any circumstances which make you feel uncomfortable, we are here to support you. Please call the Support Team on 0808 196 3382[13]. All concerns will be handled sensitively, and we will work with you to ensure a safe and positive volunteering experience.
Potential questions you may be asked
Can you put the medication in the house for me please?
You are not allowed to enter the persons home, kindly let them know you are not able to enter their home.
Can I order a repeat prescription through you?
Ask the person you are supporting to call their GP or the hospital to discuss a repeat prescription.
Skills Bank
We have a selection of resources in the Skills Bank[4] that may help you with your volunteering. We have linked to the resources that we think would support you with this activity, take some time to look through them to build your confidence.
