Stories of volunteers supporting the health service since 1949
This collection gathers oral histories from volunteers of the NHS over the last 70 years. It gives a rare snapshot of how volunteers have supported the NHS, and the day-to-day lives of our hospitals and communities. Currently, we are featuring stories from London and plan to expand throughout the UK.
When the NHS first formed in 1948, it was the volunteers – who had long been the backbone of the nation’s healthcare – that the Health Minister Anuerin Bevin looked to for support.
…watch to see where the NHS shoe pinches the public, it would be there that opportunities for further and renewed voluntary effort would help to ease the pinch.Anuerin Bevin Health Minister
Volunteers have continued to ease the strain on the NHS ever since these early days, providing a huge range of support including social care, administration and fundraising for vital resources. Perhaps most importantly, they have provided compassion, humanity and kindness to those facing ill health and difficult times.
The contribution of volunteers is not part of the usual history we hear about the NHS, yet it is the experiences of the volunteers that help us to understand the everyday lives and cultures that are behind much of our healthcare’s history – and perhaps provide new perspectives for future challenges.
This collection is a record and a celebration of the colossal contribution of volunteers, and hopefully an inspiration for what comes next.
The collection has been gathered by Attend, that began in 1949 as an umbrella body to support the volunteers in hospitals. Over time Attend has expanded its work beyond hospitals to include groups working to improve the health and well being of the broader community. Attend now has over 350 member organisations across the UK striving to build healthy communities.
The Friends Voices project has been partially funded by the Lottery Heritage Fund.
