NHS and Care Volunteer Responders Service

Lindsay Hoyle Excerpts

Monday 19th May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Karin Smyth]

I am happy to give my hon. Friend an absolute assurance. Volunteers support and complement the existing workforce; they do not replace it. Including volunteers signals a recognition of the important role they play in supporting staff, services and patients. Many hon. Members are volunteers and we have all seen how those volunteers can support the wider system. However, it is important that we keep our staff and respect their important roles.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats.

[Helen Morgan (North Shropshire) (LD)]

I was a volunteer vaccination steward during the pandemic, and the Liberal Democrats are hugely grateful to the thousands of volunteers who have made a difference to the lives of patients and vulnerable people in their communities since the pandemic ended. Their compassion and commitment have been inspiring.

We are concerned that the end of the programme has been announced at extremely short notice; there will be no further shifts in just 12 days’ time. Will the Minister reassure the House that those currently receiving help from the volunteer scheme, such as collecting prescriptions or fetching shopping, will not be left high and dry after next Saturday? Has the Department conducted an impact assessment? If so, will it publish it? As with so many major decisions, such as dropping cross-party talks on social care or cutting funding for integrated care boards by 50%, it is concerning that the Government did not come to the House first to answer questions from hon. Members. Will the Minister reassure the House that these decisions will improve patient care and that they are not just a cost-cutting exercise dictated by the Treasury?

--- Later in debate ---

[Dr Caroline Johnson (Sleaford and North Hykeham) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Notwithstanding the response to the urgent question that you were kind enough to grant, we still have no idea how long the gap in the service will last, or what will happen to the most vulnerable people who are using it. What other parliamentary mechanisms could I use to secure the answers to these questions?

[Mr Speaker]

I think that, in fairness, I cannot allow the debate to continue, which is what I think the hon. Lady is trying to tempt me towards. What I would say, however, is that I am sure that the good offices around her will give some very strong advice. I am sure that the Table Office and others will be able to advise her on how she can pursue this matter, and I am sure that those on the Front Bench have heard her point of order.