From shopping and medications to phone calls: meet the NHS Volunteer Responders supporting communities in South Yorkshire

“I immediately started reaching out to people on social media, asking if anybody needed to talk,” says Ola.

“It was such a difficult time and I knew people would be struggling.

“Shortly after that, the call came for people to sign up as NHS Volunteer Responders, and I signed up immediately.”

Ola was one of 750,000 people across the country who put their name forward to carry out non-medical tasks to support those who were self-isolating because of specific health conditions.

In the past 12 weeks, NHS Volunteer Responders have been called on for a range of simple but vital tasks, including driving people to and from hospital, delivering food and medication, and telephone support.

“I’m a Check in and Chat volunteer, which means I provide telephone support to individuals at risk of loneliness in self-isolation,” says Ola, who lives in Sheffield.

“I tend to be ‘on duty’ about three days a week, and average around six calls a day.”

The NHS Volunteer Responder programme works via an app called GoodSAM, which allows volunteers to toggle themselves as on or off duty. When they receive an alert about a job that needs doing, they have the option to accept it, or pass to another volunteer.

Ola says: “At the beginning of lockdown, I hardly got any calls, but in recent weeks the app has gone crazy with requests.

“Some of the calls I accept take ten minutes, while other times I can be on the phone with someone for over an hour.

“I like to work one day on and one day off, as I find the calls can be emotionally quite taxing, and that day off in between helps me to recharge.”

And Ola reveals she was initially surprised to find that some of the people she speaks with do have supportive families, but often find it easier to speak to a stranger.

“I think there’s something common, among people of an older generation, in not wanting to trouble others,” Ola says.

“Some of the people I speak with have family, or helpful neighbours, but tell me that they’re all dealing with their own things, and they don’t want to add to their worries by oversharing with them about their anxieties.

“I hear a lot of loneliness in people’s voices, and a longing for the clubs, visits and outings that usually make up their social lives. I think this crisis has given a great number of people a sense of their own mortality, which can be painful to face in isolation.

“Many people are also confused about the current recommendations, in terms of where it’s safe to go, and who they’re allowed to see. One woman I spoke to said she didn’t feel she could go out in her own garden as her neighbour had people in her back garden.

“There’s definitely an anxiety around the idea of going back out into society.”

And as with any telephone-based support role, Ola says the most important thing she can do for anyone is listen to them.

“It gives people a safe environment to explore their own thoughts and feelings with someone where there is no judgement,” says Ola, who is currently training as a health and wellness coach.

“People share their innermost fears and worries with me, and they’re not looking to me to solve them, just to listen to them.

“Often, with a little nudge, they work through their concerns and come to their own conclusions about what they’d like to do; such as a woman who was nervous about leaving her home at all, but by the end of the call has decided she was going to start small, with a walk to the end of her road. Or the woman who was nervous about rejoining the supper club she loves when the time comes, and decided before we hung up that she would take her own crockery and cutlery along, and that that would help her to feel safe.”

To date, Yorkshire and the Humber has seen 31,340 task requests on the app.

A spokesperson for Sheffield City Council, which is able to refer people to the service they feel would benefit from the support, said: “It’s been a really broad mix of people we’ve been referring for volunteer support through the NHS Volunteer Responders referrer’s portal.

“Most vulnerable people we refer tend to need shopping done for them, or medicines collected, but we also refer people to have a chat on the phone with a volunteer to help prevent social isolation.

“Lots of the people we’ve referred have been really surprised that this service is available and free for them.

“The service has really helped lift community morale by showing it’s not only the council looking out for them but people who have volunteered to help because they want to.”

Ola adds: “I’m sure there are people out there thinking that this service isn’t for them, and that they should be coping, but the truth is we all need that support sometimes.

“It doesn’t matter your age, or your circumstances, this service is available to anybody who just wants to hear a friendly voice at the end of the phone.”

Among those volunteering in the region is Ben Gilder, who lives with his family in Stocksbridge.

“I signed up the day the service launched,” says the 37-year-old.

“At first it was very quiet, but then about three weeks ago, the app became really busy and I was getting a lot of requests.”

So far Ben has answered around ten calls, from people needing bits of shopping or prescriptions collecting.

“A lot of the requests are from older people who are shielding,” says Ben.

“People are always very grateful, and I often stand at a good social distance and chat to them for a few minutes, checking how they are and if they need anything else while I’m there.

“I signed up as I’m young and reasonably fit, and had the time on my hands during lockdown, with the schools closed.

“I really just wanted to do my bit and I’ll continue to do what I can as long as it’s needed.”

If you are vulnerable or at risk, and need help with shopping, medication, or other essential supplies, call 0808 196 3646 from 8am to 8pm.