NHS and Care Volunteer Responders Service Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department of Health and Social Care
Katrina Murray
Main Page: Katrina Murray (Labour - Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch)Department Debates - View all Katrina Murray's debates with the Department of Health and Social Care
NHS and Care Volunteer Responders Service
Katrina Murray Excerpts(1 day, 21 hours ago)
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Karin Smyth
The hon. Gentleman makes an excellent point on behalf of his community, as well as rural communities more widely, about the role of volunteer drivers. We need volunteer drivers across a range of areas—in fact, my husband is out volunteering as I speak, driving for another charity. We need more of these people. There are plenty of opportunities for people who have time, and NHS England will continue to work with ICBs to make sure we take forward the best of what we already have into the rest of the NHS.
Katrina Murray (Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch) (Lab)
I thank the Minister for her answers so far. Prior to my election, I spent 23 years running a volunteer programme in the NHS, including during covid and the covid response. We should thank not only all the volunteers who have been involved, but those who run the volunteer programmes locally. Local infrastructure is important. It is all well and good having a national system, but where the infrastructure works well, the system works well. Where the system does not work well, it is due to lack of local infrastructure. What steps is the Minister putting in place to ensure that local infrastructure can support volunteering and make things better for all those who contribute?