Publish date: 22 February 2024
New and innovative volunteering project announced for Northumbria Healthcare apprentices
Apprentices at a North East NHS trust are set to contribute hundreds of hours a year to supporting the region's communities.
This project provides direct entry apprentices with a range of opportunities to volunteer in their own community or in communities across the North East.
It also gives apprentices the opportunity to volunteer for a cause that they are passionate about, whilst giving back to society. Furthermore, it aims to help apprentices gain an overall sense of fulfilment and build up skills, experience, and confidence.
To deliver this programme, the trust has partnered up with several charities across the region to support a range of causes and objectives, categorised into helping animals, disadvantaged people, and the environment.
The charities which will be part of this programme are Bright Northumbria, Feeding Families, Groundwork, Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter, Northumberland Zoo, Teardrop, Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade, and West Northumberland Food Bank.
Rebecca Fish (pictured), apprenticeship services manager at the trust, said:
“It’s such an exciting opportunity for our apprentices to engage with local charities and communities; our apprentice programmes develop apprentices across the Trust professionally as well as personally and this is a chance to get involved in areas that they’re passionate about.”
Apprentices will be designated up to a full working day (7.5 hours) to volunteer with the charity of their choice. With around 150 direct-entry apprentices employed in the trust, communities across the region could benefit from up to 1,125 hours of volunteering from this project, in year one alone.
As well as the personal development benefits for apprentices, this programme could have a huge impact on the surrounding communities and environment.
Paul Ennals, chair of Northumbria Healthcare, said:
“Volunteering is an essential aspect of our patient and public involvement work, helping us to build stronger relationships with our local communities.
“This project will encourage and enable the workforce of the future to support and improve the communities we serve. It serves as a great chance to motivate our apprentices to take part in activities that will support their personal development.”
Touching on how the programme aligns with corporate social responsibility (CSR), Wayne Daley, head of CSR at the trust, said:
“We’re pleased that this programme aligns with our Ofsted requirements, our Community Promise, our key goals, and the wider health and wellbeing agenda. This is important for us as it shows how this programme will contribute to the aims and goals of the Trust.
“We aim to reduce inequalities and deliver the best possible care for our population, and this project serves as another way to uplift and support our region.”
Speaking about the importance of apprentices, Wayne added:
“We place high value on our apprentices, their learning, and their impact in our community, which is another reason why this programme is so important to us.
“Another primary focus of this project is enrichment, giving added value to our apprentices outside their primary workspace. We hope this can help to give them an additional perspective of the communities they work and live in.”
Following an application process, the trust hopes to roll out the volunteering activities over spring/summer 2024.
If you are a staff member or apprentice and would like to read more about this programme, you can visit our staff portal page.
Media contact:
Jesse Ngonyama, marketing assistant apprentice
jesse.ngonyama@northumbria-healthcare.nhs.uk