We Urgently Need Volunteer Drivers - Can You Help?

We Urgently Need Volunteer Drivers – Can You Help?

We’ve launched an appeal for volunteer drivers to come forward to take vulnerable people to urgent medical appointments. Our service users are unable to attend their appointments unaided, but it’s essential for their health that they do, so we’d love to hear from people with cars to get in touch.

Kate Laver, Events & Communicare Coordinator (pictured), says: “Our service users are mainly elderly and have wellbeing issues. Many need help to get to GP appointments and hospital outpatient clinics, as they have no other way of getting there.

“We urgently need more volunteer drivers to provide just a little bit of time each week to help. We are searching for people who are available Monday to Saturday, 8am to 5pm to coincide with medical appointment times. Volunteer drivers would also need to have a car with four doors to allow for social distancing.

“Our services are staffed by our committed, kind-hearted Communiteers, who volunteer to give their time freely. They act as good neighbours, generously making regular befriending telephone calls and doing shopping for those unable to leave home at the moment, as well as providing other practical and emotional support.

“As many of our existing volunteers are also aged over 70 and may be classed as vulnerable too, we now urgently need to find others who can help us with transporting people to their essential medical appointments.”

Communiteer drivers are offered simple and basic training on topics such as safeguarding and developing listening skills and can choose the level of commitment and involvement they wish to have. Following Government guidance, appropriate PPE will be provided too.

Communicare is inviting people from all walks of life and of all ages who have a current UK driving licence and their own four door car to get in touch, if they are able to help, by calling 023 8021 6016 or emailing via enquiry@communicareinsouthampton.org.uk.

Kate continued: “We would ask drivers to volunteer for an hour a week, or on a pre-agreed ‘on-call’ basis, depending on the individual’s availability. If you can spare a few hours to help our users, we’d love to hear from you.

“Anyone who volunteers for us now will have their application and our recruitment process fast tracked. With the Government’s support, we’re getting references and DBS checks done as quickly as we can, so volunteers can be operational as soon as possible.”