The Home from Hospital and Community Support project in Newcastle is funded by the Northeast and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board. Preventing admissions, and re-admissions, to hospital is crucial for the NHS. Re-admissions alone cost the NHS over £2 billion per year, and no-one wants to be in hospital when they can be recovering safely and comfortably at home.
The project was developed to help enable people to thrive back at home, and in the community, while at the same time supporting the NHS. We recruit, train, support and coordinate volunteers, who provide a “little bit of help” to people who may be socially isolated, have health issues, or don’t have many people around them.
Volunteers provide social, emotional or practical support, completing short-term tasks. This includes things like helping with grocery shopping, collecting and delivering medical prescriptions, in person or telephone check in’s, driving someone to an appointment, helping with paperwork, ensuring the home is safe and secure, and lots more!
Our aim is to give the person receiving support the confidence to continue their recovery successfully at home, while also providing volunteers with a meaningful experience supporting others.
Becoming a Home from Hospital volunteer is a fully flexible volunteering role, giving you the chance to help in your local community at a time that suits you, or fits around your busy schedule!
Volunteers who take part often report increased wellbeing, and enhanced skills, while having the opportunity to “give back”.
We recruit, train and support “Community Responders” – volunteers who have a few hours per week to support those people who benefit from the service. Being a Community Responder is a fantastic way to gain skills and experience in supporting older people. At the same time, you will also be supporting the NHS in its goal to prevent people from being readmitted to hospital. Your contribution will keep older people safe, healthy, and connected to their local community.
Patients referred to the programme receive the support of a volunteer which is flexible and short-term, designed to meet their most important needs. Support may include helping with doing some food shopping, or collecting prescriptions on the person’s behalf, emotional support through a friendly face, or practical tasks such as helping to fill in forms and making sure the person’s home is safe and secure.
Our aim is to give the person the confidence to continue their recovery successfully at home. We also seek to provide our volunteers with a memorable and meaningful volunteering experience.
