JK Rowling salutes our NHS Help force heroes
Rowling backs Mail campaign as it boosts total of NHS helpers by a QUARTER
JK ROWLING has given her support to the Daily Mail’s NHS volunteer Christmas campaign.
The Harry Potter novelist says the thousands of readers who have pledged their time to the Health Service should be applauded.
She gave her backing to the drive to recruit volunteers across the United Kingdom as more than 22,000 people pledged their time to the cause, boosting the NHS’s voluntary workforce by more than a quarter.
Miss Rowling, a philanthropist who has donated millions to good causes, hailed those who have already stepped up to do their bit with the charity Helpforce.
She said: ‘The NHS is one of our country’s most cherished institutions, one that we can truly be proud of.
‘Despite the constant pressures and constraints, it never ceases to amaze me just how much work and time all those involved dedicate to continuing to make this organisation function, let alone excel.
‘And now, a new army of volunteers have stepped forward. The thousands who are giving up their time to help the NHS through the Helpforce campaign should be applauded.’
And fellow bestselling novelist William Boyd, author of Any Human Heart, said: ‘ This is a massively important and timely campaign.
‘Anything we can do to support the wonderful NHS is wholly worthwhile.’
The Mail is asking readers to give their time to the NHS to support patients and take some of the pressure away from overstretched staff.
The campaign, which will see volunteers start helping at hospitals in spring, has won the backing of celebrities, unions and health leaders.
The recruitment drive aims to fill key roles such as befriending patients, collecting prescriptions and helping at mealtimes. Since its launch on December 1, readers have flocked to pledge either three hours a week or a day a month, for six months.
Theresa May encouraged readers to sign up to offer ‘companionship and support’, while praising the ‘extraordinary dedication’ of doctors and nurses.
There are already about 78,000 volunteers in hospitals. A landmark report found doctors and nurses believe hospital helpers play a vital role in improving the experience of patients and staff.
The overwhelming majority of those asked – 90 per cent – felt volunteers improved patient experience by ‘bringing human kindness’ to busy hospitals. It is not too late to get involved, with applications open until the end of the month. The chief executive of NHS England Simon Stevens said boosting volunteer numbers will be essential for the NHS to deliver ambitious treatment upgrades.
Leading doctors are warning the NHS is braced for another ‘very difficult winter’.
Figures from NHS England show nearly 94 per cent of beds are already occupied, well above the 85 per cent target, despite the mild weather and low flu levels. A&E departments have had the worst November on record, with only 87.6 per cent of patients seen within four hours, against the national target of 95 per cent.
Health officials said staff were working hard to deal with increased demand, with 1,000 more patients seen within four hours every day in November compared to last year.
But Dr Nick Scriven, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, warned: ‘After decades of reductions there are simply not enough appropriately staffed beds available to meet the current demand.’
sports stars to industry chiefs, from the Archbishop of Canterbury to JK Rowling today, the endorsements for the Mail’s hospital volunteering appeal keep flooding in. But more importantly, so do the offers of time from readers up and down the country. With 22,000 new volunteers signed up, the number working across the NHS is set to rise by a quarter. Take a bow, each and every one.