Volunteering Information System

The Volunteering Information System has been designed for – and with the involvement of – NHS boards, to help them manage their volunteering programmes and report on activity.

The System is a key component of the Volunteering in NHSScotland Programme. It:

improves compliance with all data protection, information governance and data security policy and legislation
reduces the administrative burden on staff who manage and support volunteers
improves the accuracy and efficiency of reporting on volunteer engagement, and
provides an accurate picture of local and national volunteer engagement.

The System is currently being deployed across NHSScotland with 18 NHS boards using it at present.

What the System does

The System allows each NHS board to track the volunteer journey from point of contact through to their engagement in a volunteer role. This helps to ensure that the recruitment process is followed and provides boards with a rich set of data throughout the volunteer's journey.

Data is stored securely with strict access policies in place. Each NHS board signs an agreement which outlines the responsibilities of all parties.

The System also provides a number of reports, allowing boards to identify trends and take proactive steps to improve their management processes and support a positive volunteering experience.

User feedback

In 2018, we carried out a survey on the impact of the Volunteering Information System, capture in an Impact Story. We found that use of the system:

increased compliance with policy and legislation,
reduced the administrative burden on volunteer managers,
improved reporting, and
provided valuable local and national data that supports planning of services.

Volunteering Information System Impact Story

Users of the system also discussed the impact it has had on their role as volunteer managers.