At height of festive fun, hundreds of you sign up

IT may be a hectic time of year – but generous Mail readers still took time out from the festive celebrations to lend their support to the NHS.

Another 582 of you have pledged to join our Hospital Helpforce campaign in the past two days.

The ‘ phenomenal response’ means almost 27,000 readers have now offered to work more than 1.5million hours.

The huge recruitment drive has already won the hearts of stars such as J K Rowling and Sir Cliff Richard as well as the backing of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

Sir Thomas Hughes-Hallett, founder of Helpforce, said: ‘Myself and everyone at Helpforce continue to be overwhelmed by the response of Daily Mail readers as we reach another incredible milestone of 1.5million hours pledged to support staff and patients in the NHS.

‘The phenomenal response proves that people want to give back to the NHS, particularly during this festive period when we know its staff continue to work so hard. We look forward to seeing this in action in the New Year.’

Volunteers are desperately needed in hospitals as the NHS struggles to cope with the ageing population. They will carry out simple tasks to make patients’ lives easier, such as taking them to an appointment or taking notes during it.

Studies have shown volunteers can also help patients feel emotionally and physically healthier.

So far 26,920 volunteers have signed up to help out at hospitals, with 15,438 pledging three hours a week of their time. Another 11,482 will help out for one day a month.

That adds up to 1,524,888 hours over six months. The biggest British volunteer recruitment drive since the 2012 Olympics in London, it has increased the number of NHS helpers by more than a third. Former patients can sign up to mentor others or offer a hand to hold for people without family members in their final hours.

Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, has said if enough people gave up their time, ‘patients would never need to be in hospital alone’.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, said as little as three hours a week could have a profound impact on patients’ lives.

Readers can register their interest by filling out a form online before being matched with an NHS trust – with placements likely to start in the spring, following checks.

‘Overwhelmed by the response’