Empowering inclusive volunteering in mental health and learning disability services

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT), through its Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Neurodiversity Partnership, is partnering with Community Action Dacorum to join the Volunteering for Health programme – a regional initiative designed to open up more inclusive and meaningful volunteering opportunities across health and care.
For people living with mental health challenges, learning disabilities, or neurodiversity, volunteering can be a powerful route to connection, confidence, and wellbeing. Yet many face barriers to getting involved due to complex recruitment processes, repeated checks, or limited support.

Volunteering for Health aims to change that, introducing a volunteer passport to streamline training, DBS checks, and recruitment, and providing additional support for those who need it.

“This is about inclusion and empowerment,” said Kathryn Linhart, Deputy Director, Integration and Partnerships at HPFT. “We know the value of lived experience, and this programme helps ensure that everyone, whatever their background, has the opportunity to contribute to better mental health and wellbeing in our communities.”

The project forms part of a wider regional partnership between NHS Trusts, local authorities, and Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise organisations, uniting efforts to build stronger, healthier communities across Hertfordshire and West Essex in line with the NHS’s 10-year vision – shifting focus from hospital-based treatment to community-based prevention. By removing unnecessary barriers and strengthening collaboration, Volunteering for Health hopes to inspire a new wave of community participation and ensure that volunteering continues to be at the heart of better health and wellbeing for all.

Media contact: Musarat Inayat – VFH Co Ordinator Telephone – 01442 617648 email – musarat1@communityactiondacorum.org.uk

Katie Edwards
Programme Lead – Volunteering for Health
Email: katieedwards@nhcvs.org.uk