NHS and Care Volunteer Responders Service

Lord Balfe Excerpts

Tuesday 20th May 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

The noble Baroness raises an important point. I am sure there are many, like me, who have volunteered, or still volunteer, and gained as much as they gave, although they did not expect to. It is important to have standards, and to protect volunteers and everybody involved. That will be the case. A lot of local action builds relationships with local organisations, which is a very successful way of harnessing the benefits of volunteers and volunteering.

[Lord Balfe (Con)]

My Lords, I in no way denigrate volunteers, but can the Minister confirm that when a volunteer in a hospital comes across information about patients it has the same level of confidentiality as it would if it had been found by a member of staff, and that it is not acceptable for any information gathered by a volunteer to be used improperly?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I share the noble Lord’s view. Various directions are given to volunteers about how to behave when they receive information that may be to do with safeguarding, and where it should go. It is important that volunteers and staff do not keep it to themselves and that action is taken, so I can give the assurance that he seeks.