Many health and care organisations and charities need help from volunteers. This is a great way to support health and care and get involved in your community. NHS trusts and health and care employers websites usually include details of how to get involved.
Volunteers are crucial to the NHS's vision for the future of health and social care, as partners with our skilled staff, not as substitutes for them. There are more than 300 types of roles in health and care alone, providing challenging and rewarding opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds.
Some can be a one-off, like hospital garden makeovers or fundraising.
Others can last for months or even years, like running a hospital radio show, helping with administration in a hospice or taking part in advisory groups.
Many health and care organisations are opening up volunteer roles for young people from the age of 16, and some now offer youth volunteering programmes for 16 and 17-year-olds.
Young volunteers not only have a positive impact within health and care, the experience they gain is often beneficial for them. For example by developing skills such as team working and problem-solving, which are crucial for future success in education and the workplace.
NHS Cadets is an exciting programme being rolled out across England in partnership with St John Ambulance.
It supports 14 to 18-year-olds from communities with less access to volunteering to find out what it is like to work in health and care, and to consider this as a future career choice.
NHS Cadets learn first aid, develop their leadership and practical skills, and are offered rewarding healthcare volunteering opportunities.
If you would like to find out more, visit the St John's Ambulance website.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, check on a provider's website.
Please note, this list is not exhaustive.
Kent County Council volunteering
Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust