Volunteer Responders programme

The Volunteer Responders programme was set up at pace and scale in March 2020 to support people vulnerable to COVID-19, those shielding or isolating, and the NHS in England. This programme was a new innovation in health and micro-volunteering which brought together three new partners – NHS England, Royal Voluntary Service, and a tech social enterprise called GoodSAM.

The programme continues to evolve as the needs of patients and the NHS change (e.g. COVID-19 spikes, winter/flu season, supporting the NHS business as usual work). Therefore, understanding the impact of this programme, changing needs, and any service improvements quickly are critically important.