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Volunteering for Health (Norfolk and Waveney)

Volunteering for Health Norfolk and Waveney is a project exploring new ways to bring the benefits of volunteering to everyone, especially those who might not usually take part. The project aims to: 

  • Encourage new volunteers 
  • Value existing volunteers and volunteer managers 
  • Help more health and social care organisations get involved

Why we need this project 

Volunteering is a fantastic way to improve health, wellbeing, and strengthen communities, as well as support health and social care services. However, volunteering is declining in Norfolk and Waveney, and research shows people want to volunteer differently. We therefore need some new approaches to support long-term volunteering in health and social care. We also need to attract more diverse and younger people.

By the end of our project, we hope to show the positive impact of volunteering on healthcare, wellbeing, and employability, justifying the need for further investment. 

Funding 

We received a £540,000 from the national Volunteering for Health programme for this project, delivered in partnership between NHS England, NHS Charities Together, and CW+, the official charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The project will run until summer 2027. 

Our partnership 

Partners of this project include: 

  • Community Action Norfolk 
  • Community Action Suffolk 
  • Institute of Volunteering at the University of East Anglia 
  • Norfolk County Council 
  • Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust 
  • Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board
  • Voluntary Norfolk 

What’s happening as part of this project

As part of Volunteering for Health, we’ve launched the Get InVOLved Skills website, a hub designed to support the development of skills needed to recruit, manage, and work effectively with volunteers.

If you work in health or social care and want to strengthen your confidence in involving volunteers, the site provides best‑practice guidance, practical tools, and real‑life case studies to help you get started.

Get InVOLved Skills also includes a wide range of training opportunities for volunteers themselves, helping people learn about topics that interest them while contributing to their local community.

The Get Involved Innovation Fund provides grants to local VCSE organisations to test new ways of enabling and supporting people with learning disabilities, autism, and looked‑after children to take part in volunteering.

You can find updates on future funding rounds and emerging learning from the funded projects on the Get Involved Innovation Fund webpage.

With support from the Norfolk and Suffolk ICB, Voluntary Norfolk is leading development work to build sustainable volunteering infrastructure within local primary care. This aims to strengthen the role of volunteers across GP practices and improve patient experience.

The Institute for Volunteering Research at the University of East Anglia is carrying out an evaluation of the programme. Their findings will help us understand the impact of this test‑and‑learn approach and guide long‑term decisions about volunteering infrastructure across health and care.

For more information about any part of the Volunteering for Health programme, please contact us.