Check in and Chat is back!
27 March 2023
Volunteer Responders is a national, flexible volunteering programme supporting health and adult social care in England. With a resilient pool of volunteers on standby, the @NHSVolunteerResponders programme is working alongside wider healthcare services, to bring in extra capacity and support at critical times to improve outcomes for staff and patients/clients.
Check In and Chat volunteers, who are DBS checked, provide short- term telephone support to patients who need a chat and some encouragement to improve their mental health and wellbeing. Through friendly conversation and where appropriate, working with tools such as the 5 steps to mental wellbeing, volunteers can help patients feel better and explore positive changes they could make.
For more vulnerable patients, the same Check In and Chat Plus volunteer provides regular phone calls (3 times a week) to the same patient over a maximum 4-week period.
Health and care professionals, stakeholders and members are able to book referrals by logging into the Volunteer Responders referrer’s portal. Once registered, stakeholders/health professions/etc can select the type and frequency of support their patients/clients need. They can also log into their account to view or cancel referrals.
Find out more by visiting: nhsvolunteerresponders.org.uk/referral