Since it was launched in June 2009, the health messages which have been covered by the Health Campaign Volunteers have been:
Volunteering is Good for Your Health
Volunteers have been out and about in various locations engaging the public and encouraging them to consider volunteering within their community.
As a direct result, many people have asked for more information about opportunities in the area.
Several have actually begun volunteering and say that they are “getting a lot out of it“.
Stress Bus
The Community Health Partnership recently brought the ‘Stress Bus’ to town.
This mobile unit was located in Kirkintilloch, with VC Staff and Volunteers letting people know about the helpful information leaflets and helplines on various stress related issues such as; sleep, depression and anxiety.
The volunteers’ local knowledge helped greatly on the day as they instinctively knew the best places and times to engage with the local community.
Home Fire Safety
Over November and December 2009 the Health Campaign Volunteers teamed up with the Fire & Rescue Service to promote their Home Fire Safety Service.
They gave out over 400 leaflets to the public throughout East Dunbartonshire to let them know about this free service run by the Fire & Rescue Service.
As well as setting up stands in public areas in East Dunbartonshire, volunteers delivered leaflets to local community groups, particularly to the more vulnerable.
GP Surgeries
Recently the Volunteer Centre East Dunbartonshire was approached by a local GP surgery to explore the possibility of working together around the issue of volunteering and health.
After two meetings, the Volunteer Centre, with the encouragement and support of the GP surgery, started a regular “Volunteer Clinic” based within the Regent Gardens Medical Centre in Kirkintilloch town centre.
Regent Gardens and the Volunteer Centre are now entering into a partnership to further develop activities that will encourage all patients who attend the practice to consider volunteering.
“I believe volunteering is a very important activity for many people and with the growth of talking Medicines, I can clearly see how volunteering can assist an individual’s health both physical and psychological”, said Adrian Murtagh, Manager of VC East Dunbartonshire.
Following a visit to the local Practice Manager’s Meeting, the Volunteer Centre has been distributing leaflets to all local GP practices who feel that it would be helpful for their patients to consider volunteering as it could be ‘Good for their Health’.
What else is the Volunteer Centre involved in?
Over the past year, Volunteer Development Scotland has been working in partnership with NHS Scotland to recognize the value of volunteering.
This has been achieved through a Refreshed Strategy for Volunteering in the NHS and the establishment of a National Group for Volunteering in NHS Scotland, of which Volunteer Centre East Dunbartonshire is a member, representing the VC Network.
This Strategy requires all NHS Boards in Scotland to undertake specific measures over the 2008 – 11 period to maximize the impact of volunteering in health care.
Boards are working on many different aspects of volunteer development, with a target of all Boards achieving Investing In Volunteers quality standards by March 2011.