Coronavirus: Thousands Volunteer to Help NHS With Vulnerable
Courtesy BBC
Some 250,000 people have signed up in a single day to volunteer with the NHS after a recruitment drive to help the vulnerable amid the coronavirus crisis.
The helpers are needed for delivering food and medicines, driving patients to appointments and phoning the isolated.
The scheme is one of a number aimed at relieving pressure on the NHS.
About 11,000 former medics have also agreed to return to the health service and more than 24,000 final year student nurses and medics will join them.
Stephen Powis, NHS England medical director, said there had been "outbreaks of altruism" and he was "bowled over" by the medics returning to the front line and the response from volunteers.
This comes as it was confirmed Prince Charles, the 71-year-old heir to the throne, tested positive for coronavirus after displaying mild symptoms.
He is now self-isolating at home in Scotland with the Duchess of Cornwall, who tested negative.
A Clarence House spokesman said it was not possible to know who he had caught it from due to a "high number of engagements" in recent weeks.
The government scheme to recruit 250,000 helpers - who must be over 18 and in good health - went live on Tuesday.
By Wednesday morning, they had exceeded their target, after many thousands signed up to Good Sam, the group coordinating the response.
The help is being targeted at the 1.5 million people with underlying health conditions who have been asked to shield themselves from the virus by staying at home for 12 weeks.
'I just want to help': Meet the volunteers
Claudia is an actress and her industry has shut down
Technology expert Alex Hamilton, from Northampton, was among the first to sign up.
"I'm working from home but it's quiet. I'm doing a lot of gardening and this is an opportunity to do something to help - I've volunteered to do anything necessary."
His wife has a low immune system after having breast cancer twice and says he has concerns "about what I could be bringing back".
"But I want to do good," he said.
University tutor Robert Howarth, 23, from Blackburn, has also signed up. "I just want to help," he says.
He is currently working remotely and part-time, which he says gives him the chance to do more.
"I've signed up for two roles out of the four on offer - to be a befriender helping people in self-isolation and delivering vital products."
Actress Claudia Grant is another to have signed up. With much of her industry having shutdown, she says she has time to help.
"I hate to think of anyone struggling and I know the NHS is going to be stretched - I just want to do anything I can to help."
Article/Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52029877
