Proud To Be British—Over 500,000 Volunteers Sign Up For NHS Duties In First 36 Hours
Image Courtesy of UK Government
As the coronavirus death toll in the UK rose to 422 people as of 10.10am on Wednesday, the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, called for 250,000 fit and healthy adults to volunteer to deliver vital supplies such as food and medicines to up to 1.5 million vulnerable people, drive them home after being discharged from hospital and make regular phone calls to those in self-isolation.
Amazingly, the figure now stands at 504,303.
“That is already, in one day, as many people as the population of Coventry,” said Boris Johnson in the daily Downing Street press conference on Wednesday.
Nearly 12,000 recently retired NHS staff came forward to rejoin the frontline following a separate call for help. The government has announced plans to set up a makeshift hospital with capacity for 4,000 beds at the ExCeL centre in east London.
NHS England’s national medical director, Stephen Powis, said he was “bowled over” by the “astonishing” response.
Asked if he had expected such support, he replied: “I think at times of crisis, people come together. And the vast majority of people in this country are doing what the government has asked us all to do. But it’s important that everyone does that as that will save lives.
“I know there’s vast numbers of people looking to help neighbours, vulnerable people who live close by, so no it doesn’t surprise me at all. In times like this, as the chief medical officer has already said, we see outbreaks of altruism, people wanting to help, so it’s a wonderful response in the same way that all those doctors coming back, nurses coming back. I’m bowled over by it.”
The NHS have detailed four main volunteer groups :
1. Community Response volunteer: This role involves collecting shopping, medication or other essential supplies for someone who is self-isolating, and delivering these supplies to their home.
2. Patient Transport volunteer: This role supports the NHS by providing transport to patients who are medically fit for discharge, and ensuring that they are settled safely back in to their home.
3. NHS Transport volunteer: This role involves transporting equipment, supplies and/or medication between NHS services and sites, it may also involve assisting pharmacies with medication delivery.
4. Check-in and Chat volunteer: This role provides short-term telephone support to individuals who are at risk of loneliness as a consequence of self-isolation.
Robert Jenrick, the housing and communities secretary, told BBC Breakfast: “I know there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people out there who would like to support us during this time and support the NHS.
“There will be lots of different opportunities available from helping deliver medicines and food to the elderly and vulnerable who we’re asking to stay at home, being volunteer drivers to get supplies to the frontline or to take people into hospital, or working in hospitals obviously in non-clinical roles
