Study Support Volunteers
Have you considered recruiting volunteers?
At this time, we are experiencing issues with workforce availability compared to intensity needed. Reaching out to volunteers may not necessarily increase workforce availability but could reap rewards for your team in the long run.
Consider the participant experience? Could it be enhanced by engaging chaperones who are not multi-tasking? Could volunteers book your appointments; make up participant packs; complete simple administration tasks - releasing your staff to research-related tasks.
On this page, there is information about NHS Trust Volunteers & issues for consideration when planning to include Volunteers in research delivery. While planning for a GM-wide approach, we have worked with MFT NHS Trust's Volunteering Team and have developed draft documentation below. There are also a specific webpages with information about NWAS & Project Wingman.
Below is a list of considerations to be made when planning for this role:-
How will we describe the role? A draft example is linked below.
Volunteering pre-engagement checks & contract - who in your Trust will do this according to your volunteering policy?
Letters of Access - for those who have NHS volunteering contracts in place.
How will we identify/mitigate risks? A draft example of a risk assessment is linked below.
Accountability & supervision - ie. who will be the named contact & supervisor?
How is Trust induction training accessed? NB - NIHR Learn Vaccine Trials Training has a volunteer pathway.
Are there other safeguards to put in place - ie specific to C-19?
Expenses - how will this be administered?
What will the volunteer wear?
Template Volunteer Information (currently tailored to Project Wingman volunteers)