FAQs for referring organisations

NHS and Care Volunteer Responders (NHSCVR) is a large-scale, NHS-approved volunteering programme supporting the NHS and healthcare teams across England.

NHSCVR volunteers offer targeted assistance tailored to the needs of your ICS, Trust, and Primary Care Centre.

Our integration within the NHS care model ensures that patients receive well-rounded support, enhancing their overall care experience and alleviating the workload on healthcare professionals.

Referrals for volunteer support can be made by professionals, including:

• Approved charity partner
• Approved VCSE organisations
• Community pharmacy
• General Practice (GP)
• Healthwatch
• Hospital
• Local authority (multi-disciplinary teams)
• Member of Parliament (MP)
• NHS111/Ambulance Trust
• Police or fire service
• Resilience Forum member
• Social housing provider
• Social prescribing/link worker scheme.

See referral criteria^[3] for more information on who is eligible for support for each volunteer activity.

Our user-friendly referral process allows you to make online referrals through our digital platform, GoodSAM.

This means you can request NHSCVR volunteers with minimal effort, saving valuable time and resources. Once you have identified the volunteer services you require, our referral form will guide you through the booking process.

We have created a training pathway^[4] for our referrers which will help you through making a referral step by step. 

With clear guides and our support, referring to NHSCVR services is a
seamless experience, enabling you to focus more on patient care.

You will need to make a new referral for each activity required by the person needing support. Multiple activities cannot be selected on the same referral form.

Volunteer Responders is an NHS England scheme that runs in England only.

You can make referrals directly if you have an nhs.net or gov.uk email address. We will approve requests from alternative addresses as quickly as we can within 72 hours, or you can make referrals through your local authority.

This is open to each eligible professional organisation to decide. We have left this flexible to suit different needs. If you want a colleague to access your referrals we suggest you use a generic email address when setting up your GoodSAM account.

NHSCVR volunteers can help address crucial gaps in non-clinical care by:

• Ensuring the timely delivery of essential items, such as medications, mobility aids, and medical equipment. Pick Up and Deliver supports the immediate needs of patients, whether they are being discharged from the hospital, receiving ongoing care from a hospital trust, or require continued support at home.
• Telephone calls to people in need of a friendly voice and a listening ear.
• Help with essential shopping and prescription delivery.
• Supporting people to enjoy social activities and hobbies in the community.

We frequently review the needs of the programme, and we will update referrers when new roles are added, for example following a successful pilot activity.

This depends on whether the task is an urgent same day task or a shift-based task.

An urgent same day task request will be sent to registered volunteers who are on duty in the local area.

A shift will be available to volunteers to select in advance. Once you submit the referral it will go into the system to be matched or selected by our pool of volunteers.

Successful completion of a shift or task is dependent on volunteer availability at the time and the amount of notice provided.

The programme is backed by comprehensive support and assurance. Volunteers, those receiving support, and referrers all have access to a Helpline, Safeguarding Team, and Problem-Solving Team available 7 days a week.

Our proven track record showcases significant positive changes within various ICSs, highlighting the measurable benefits of NHSCVR’s volunteer support.

To find out about the impact in your ICS contact your Regional Relationship Manager^[5]

Contact the Support Team on 0808 196 3382^[2], who will be able to pass your referral on to the programme team for investigation. It may be that the information in the alert is not clear enough, or the details have been recorded incorrectly. The programme team will also be able to access another route to help you access more volunteers. 

Volunteering activities are designed to compliment existing volunteering programmes, offering additional support.

All volunteering acitvity must have concluded by 8pm, volunteers are not able to help after this time. You should ensure that when making a request you are clear in the task information about timings.

Volunteers cannot support people with personal care. Please see our list of acceptable and not acceptable activities^[6] in the referrer guidance for this activity.

Log in to the admin area of the GoodSAM website^[7] - It is advised to use Google Chrome for this.

Go into the 'referrals' tab and click on the button for the type of referral you are making.

Please read our referral form guides^[8] to see what information is needed or contact our Support Team on 0808 196 3382^[2] for further information.

This is not a mandatory field.

Please contact our Support Team on 0808 196 3382^[2].

Firstly, check if the verification email was sent to your junk/spam inbox. If the verification email cannot be found, please call the Support Team to generate another verification email on 0808 196 3382^[2].

GoodSAM stands for Good Samaritan and is a platform that has been saving many lives since its launch. It alerts those trained in resuscitation to cardiac arrest to nearby incidents, while the ambulance is on its way.

It is because of this technology of coordinating volunteers to those in need, that the system has been adopted for the Volunteer Responders programme.

You can click on tasks on the referrer dashboard to view the task/alert to check progress. Contact the Support Team on 0808 196 3382^[9] if you have a concern about your task. 

Please see our Driving Support - Pick up and Deliver activity guide^[10] for full details of what our volunteers can transport.

You may have entered your phone number instead of the phone number of the person requiring support. Please log in to the Referrers' Portal and check the client phone number listed. If necessary cancel the referral and submit a new one.

It is especially important that you cancel this request if you have requested a repeat referral (e.g. weekly) because volunteers will continue to call you directly. Please ensure you have fully read the instruction document embedded within the referral form.

Please contact our Support Team on 0808 196 3382^[2] if you have not been able to register as a referrer.

We recommend that you read the referrers guidance that is specific to Stewarding Support^[11].

Volunteers have been asked to commit to 4 hour shifts. If they need to have an on site induction they may be on site for 4 hours 30 minutes.

No referrals/tasks should be raised for longer than 4 hours 30 minutes but you can add shifts to run concurrently i.e. 8:00-12:30 and 12:30-17:00. 

We recommend that you read the referrers guidance that is specific to Steward Volunteers^[11].

Please see our guidance for making a referral^[11] to support a site for full details of how to complete the referral form.

Our advanced digital platform puts volunteer resources, monitoring, and support materials at your fingertips for a smooth, efficient workflow.

You can log in to the GoodSAM website and manage your referrals from your referrer dashboard. See our Training Hub^[4] for more information.

1. Log in to the GoodSAM website^[12]. It is advised to use Google Chrome for this.
2. Go into the 'referrals' tab.
3. In the free text box, key in the first name, surname or email address to search for the referral.

Log in to the GoodSAM website.
It is advised to use Google Chrome for this.

Go into the 'referrals' tab. In the free text box, key in the first name, surname or email address to search for the referral.

1. Log in to the GoodSAM website^[12]. It is advised to use Google Chrome for this.
2. Go into the 'referrals' tab.
3. In the free text box, key in the first name, surname or email address to search for the referral.
4. Once you have found the referral you can click ‘Cancel referral’. A push notification will be sent to all volunteers who have already accepted the task and the task will be removed from the volunteers app.

Please contact our Support Team on 0808 196 3382^[2] if you are unable to access your referrals.

Please contact our Support Team on 0808 196 3382^[2] if you are unable to access your account.

NHSCVR is a fully approved NHS volunteer service, ensuring that all our activities meet the highest standards of quality and safety. ID checks are carried out for all volunteers. All roles require ID checking with a passport/driving licence and some roles require additional checks e.g. a DBS check.

Please see our DBS checking^[13] page for more information. This approach is in line with Home Office guidance around eligibility for DBS checks.

The safeguarding of people and volunteers is paramount. Royal Voluntary Service have a safeguarding framework to support Volunteer Responders.

This includes:

• A trained Safeguarding Team working 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week picking up concerns.
• All volunteers have an identification page within the app which they must show to the person they are supporting.
• A volunteer agreement which details expected behaviours of volunteers.
• A volunteer Problem Solving Team to help with low-level volunteer concerns or issues.
• A process for removal and/or banning of volunteers or people from the service for inappropriate conduct or behaviour. If you have a concern about a volunteer please contact our Support Team on 0808 196 3382^[2].

Safeguarding concerns can be raised by calling the Support Team on 0808 196 3382, ^[2]who will pass the information to the Safeguarding Team.

Royal Voluntary Service’s Liability Insurance Policy covers up to 2 million volunteers. They will only accept liability if the volunteers are following the guidelines and boundaries that have been set.

Any volunteer engaged in an active task under this scheme will be able to evidence this by showing you their ID on the Volunteer Responders app on their mobile phone, where you can see that they are actively carrying out an assigned task.

All volunteers will receive a Getting You Started Guide appropriate to the roles they sign up to. As part of the terms and conditions of volunteering, driving volunteers are asked to declare that their vehicle is roadworthy as outlined by UK law, has a valid MOT certificate and is taxed for use on the roads and that they have a valid driving licence.

Volunteers using their own car for voluntary purposes to support others should check the information on the Association of British Assurers website^[14] before undertaking any driving activity as you may not be insured, the information includes a list of insurers who do not charge extra for volunteer driving.  

Volunteers must be over 18 years old.

All volunteers are invited to a Welcome Webinar and receive access to 'Getting You Started Guides' for each activity they sign up for. After they begin volunteering, they can attend role-specific webinars for additional guidance and support from the NHSCVR team and ‘Buddy’ volunteers.

Volunteers also have access to videos, detailed FAQs, and a Skills Bank, ensuring they have clear, specific, and comprehensive guidance to provide safe support.

There will be regular opportunities to share your feedback via our communication channels and surveys, or with your Regional Relationship Manager^[5].

You can also share feedback on Inclusion via our Inclusion Hub^[15].

We have a dedicated Equality, Dveristy & Inclusion team who oversee our efforts to create a more equitable and inclusive programme.

We actively recruit volunteers from diverse backgrounds to ensure that our volunteers are as diverse as the communities they support.

By delivering medications and returning equipment, the service alleviates the workload of hospital staff, allowing them to focus more on patient care and urgent tasks.

By enabling the delivery of medications and necessary supplies post-discharge, the service allows hospitals to discharge patients earlier in the day.

NHS Trusts using the service report a positive change to patient discharge before 17:00.

The service has a positive impact on NHSE net zero targets by collecting and
redistributing mobility aids and monitoring equipment etc.

By ensuring timely delivery of essential items, such as medications, mobility aids, and medical equipment. This service helps to meet the immediate needs of patients, whether they are being discharged or require ongoing support at home.

Changes have been made to the Volunteer Responders programme to make it easier for you to request volunteer support for your site and/or the person you support.

Support will be separated into role types for easier navigation of the volunteer support available e.g. Telephone Support, Site Support. A range of different volunteer activities will sit under each role type.

More volunteer activities will be available to request as shifts. This means you can book volunteers in advance and can monitor which shifts have been filled and which volunteers have accepted them. For particularly urgent requests, you will still be able to request a volunteer to provide immediate assistance via an alert.

There will be space for you to add a description of your task so you can offer volunteers more information about the support you need.  This allows you to tailor your requests within the boundaries of the activity. However, you must not add private information about a client into the description box.

You will also be able to track your referrals via a referrer dashboard which will give you a greater view of the status of your referral.

All current volunteer activities will be available, but we have updated some names. Check In and Chat Plus has become Companionship Calls, for example, to improve understanding.

Under the Community Response role type, we have separated out large and small shops and pharmacy collection and delivery – this can also be used for other types of prescription delivery such as glasses or hearing aids.

In addition, Connect, which is where you can request a volunteer to accompany someone to an activity in the community such as a lunch club or walk, now sits under Community Response. Connect is now available nationally.

We have introduced new volunteer role types including In Home Support and Driving Support Plus. Through In Home Support, currently available in Kirklees, Birmingham, Buckinghamshire and Bournemouth with more to follow, you can request a volunteer to visit someone to help them enjoy a hobby or social activity in their home for example to play cards, bake cakes or do some gardening together.

Under Driving Support Plus, we have a new activity Pick Up and Deliver Plus. Requesting this support, will mean the volunteer will be able to deliver the medication and / or equipment to the patient’s home and will be able to store items appropriately.

Most requests for volunteer support already in the system or added before 3 June will continue until they expire.

Referrers and people receiving support do not need to do anything. We will contact individual referrers directly if we need to update any requests in line with the changes we’ve made to the system. This will mainly be for some long running Check In and Chat and Pick Up and Deliver requests added before 3 June.