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Original poster

NHS Volunteer Army - are you one of the 750,000?

88 replies

CakeAndPastries · 03/04/2020 13:29

Hi Has anyone volunteered?

I have and I am marked as on duty in the app but I have had zero alerts or calls at all. Am I doing something wrong? I am very happy to be helping people, so want to make sure I have it all sorted properly.
thanks

OP posts:
Helenj1977 · 03/04/2020 13:34

Yes. I'm ready for calls.

I think it's going live properly next week x

TheReelSlimShady · 03/04/2020 19:29

It seems to have gone all quiet on the Western front. Lots of fanfare and now nothing much. Hopefully it will be up and running fairly soon, I'm ready and willing to do my bit.

lljkk · 03/04/2020 19:37

me & DH both.
I haven't turned mine on.

it feels like my house is full of jobs that I've been ignoring all week so maybe I'll never turn it on, I'm a lot busier than I expected (supposed to be working now...)
DH has been 'on' a few days & not had any contract, too.

Babyroobs · 03/04/2020 19:46

I guess it takes time to process these things especially given the large numbers who have volunteered. I have volunteered to go back on the Registered Nurse register but heard nothing.

Bipbopbee · 03/04/2020 19:47

Yes. Had an email this morning saying they are doing a soft release of tasks required so I guess they will roll them out soon

TheGoatIsHere · 03/04/2020 19:51

How do the end users (ie the old, vulnerable, etc) actually access the system to request help? Or are the requests driven from the NHS? I'm not completely confident that the system is "joined up"

Mandraki · 03/04/2020 19:51

Yes I volunteered. I'm a first year student nurse who had her placement cancelled so thought I should do something to help.

openova · 03/04/2020 19:53

I looked at this but most of it was driving and I can't drive or calling people on the phone which I'm really bad at and worry I'd make people feel worse!

RamblingFar · 03/04/2020 19:55

I have, but only turned it on once. I'm waiting until there seems to actually be a need for us, then I'll turn it on more. I can only do the phone calls anyway.

Milomonster · 03/04/2020 20:26

Just downloaded the app and switched to on duty.

lljkk · 04/04/2020 08:37

There's a messaging part of the app for the isolated to ask for help. Like FBk messenger.

There are pages and pages and pages... of guidelines to read thru, tbh.

Bunnybigears · 04/04/2020 08:41

Yes I am a.volunteer. At the moment the app shows a lot of volunteer in my area but no jobs to do.

swapsicles · 04/04/2020 08:43

I signed up and got an email saying they need to check my id but heard nothing since 🤔

SachaStark · 04/04/2020 08:50

I’ve not gone through the official route, but a friend of mine is a specialist paramedic, and let me know that my nearby doctors’ surgery was crying out for volunteers to man the doors and only let people in one at a time to the pharmacy/surgery/dispensary.

So I’m doing that all of this week and all of next week whilst it’s the Easter holidays (I’m a teacher). I’m not needed in for key worker children, so I thought that I ought to do something to help during these two weeks. And if I’m on the door, it means that a nurse or doctor isn’t, and can actually get on with their important jobs.

Lots of other teachers that I know are in their schools during the Easter holidays using the DT rooms to make visors for clinics and hospitals nearby, which I think is really cool. If I’d not already arranged to volunteer at the surgery, I think I’d volunteer to do that, too.

ScrapThatThen · 04/04/2020 08:58

I joined a local network to volunteer that has been going a few weeks and I'm one of a dozen for the five streets around me - it's been fairly quiet, a handful of requests every few days. I expect it to get busier.

toomanypillows · 04/04/2020 09:06

I had an email saying they can't verify my ID (photograph of my passport - the same photo I've used before online for other things) so they will not be using my services this time and I can apply again when it opens again.

LanguLangWeetabixsavager · 04/04/2020 09:07

I'm 'on the other side' and we got our instructions on how to get volunteers at the end of this week, so I anticipate we'll start making referrals from this weekend onwards. Big thank you to everyone who has put themselves forward, we need the help and it will hopefully make our jobs slightly easier. I've had colleagues dropping like flies this week because they've contracted C19 and unfortunately multiple deaths on the ward. It's all incredibly surreal but I'm amazed by how many people have put themselves forward to volunteer, it's like a ray of sunshine amongst all this shit.

CookieDoughKid · 04/04/2020 09:09

toomanypillows same here. Yes same day I passed my m&s credit card application with same details which is disappointing!

Original poster
CakeAndPastries · 04/04/2020 11:23

LangulangWeetabixsavager thanks for your message on here.

And thank you very much for all you are doing to help the whole community with this awful virus FlowersStar

OP posts:
WoollySheep462 · 04/04/2020 11:32

How does an individual access help?

Milomonster · 04/04/2020 11:36

@LanguLangWeetabixsavager thanks for sharing your insights! Looking forward to helping.

FAQs · 04/04/2020 11:39

I am, on the app there are 16 in our village listed.

Helenj1977 · 04/04/2020 12:03

I'm guessing the real reason behind the phone calls is to alert them to the ones who don't answer 😢 I hope all of mine answer the phone x

WatchoutfortheROUS · 04/04/2020 12:07

I signed up but never received any emails at all??

Original poster
CakeAndPastries · 06/04/2020 15:06

I still have had no alerts.

WatchoutfortheROUS maybe they have not done your identity check as yet.

OP posts: