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A volunteer hands a hot meal to a neighbor in her community at the front door
Photo: Stephen McCarthy / Sportsfile via Getty Images
On his first day as a helper, Carl Freeman broke the rules.
Purchases only in advance - this is how the Good SAM volunteer app recommends it in several places.
Freeman didn't stick to it, instead buying ham, microwave dishes, and flowers for his own account.
"I'm a trusty guy," he tries to explain today why he ignored the rules - but maybe also why he went shopping for complete strangers in the middle of a pandemic.
The 59-year-old from Worcester is about to retire, he and his wife have two daughters and one grandson.
"I know studies that show that it has a positive effect on the mood," the wiry Briton justifies his commitment in a friendly manner.
But it's only about good mood for a long time, without helpers like Freeman, the British health service NHS would probably have collapsed long ago.
Great Britain is now the country with the most corona deaths in Europe.
According to official information, more than 100,000 people have died so far, the actual number is likely to be even higher due to the overloading of the health system.
According to media reports, general practitioners work 16-hour shifts, and office hours assistants have been brought back from maternity leave or retirement.
The situation is dire.
In addition, a mutation of the Sars-CoV-2 virus has haunted the island for a few weeks, which is even more contagious and probably more deadly.
Hundreds of thousands of British people want to help
And yet - or perhaps because of this - the willingness of the British to help is enormous.
They step in where the state fails.
Almost defiantly, more than 50,000 citizens signed up last week to help out in the vaccination centers.
In the tabloid »Sun«, the »Jabs Army«, the army of vaccination workers, was advertised for days.
There are now patriotic T-shirts for the program, which is not accepting any further registrations for the time being.
Last year, a six-digit number of citizens volunteered to help.
It is the hour of the volunteer.
Those who want to do something will find countless offers on the Royal Voluntary Service website.
In addition to shopping and vaccination helpers, it is also looking for citizens who regularly call older people to inquire about their well-being.
And in a virtual village hall there are sports programs and leisure activities from lasagna cooking courses to handicrafts with napkins.
In short stories, the British tell their compatriots why it is worth giving the NHS a helping hand right now.
The role of volunteers is praised by politicians almost every day, and the media invoke the program as a sign of hope.
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Volunteers put food packages into shopping bags in Trafalgar Square, London
Photo: NurPhoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images
The royal family also demonstratively supports the volunteers.
For medical reasons, too, it is often Prince William and Kate who accompany the helpers and hand over small aid packages.
When the Duchess helped out incognito with the NHS telephone service that summer, it wasn't long before the media reported on it.
"Call me Catherine," the press quoted one of the calls, clearly enthusiastic.
In the current crises of the Kingdom, which left the EU almost casually parallel to the pandemic, the otherwise often scolded health service suddenly seems like a constant.
But the much-praised volunteer program is also causing criticism.
Some warn that the volunteers are being exploited.
Others criticize the program ignoring existing offers and suppressing them.
The cost of developing the app also made headlines last year.
30 conversations with strangers - per day
Abigail Rose, 45, is also familiar with such criticism.
The management consultant from Oxford has been helping in
the NHS
“Check In and Chat
”
program
since last March
.
Since then she has been calling strangers to help them.
She too is often annoyed with the British health system, she says.
But in the current crisis, she cannot just watch.
"I often feel bad when I put my cell phone down for a few hours," she says.
In the beginning there were two or three calls, now often 20, sometimes 30 a day.
Mostly it is older people who are at home and lonely.
The main thing is to make the quarantine more bearable.
Also mentally.
"We joke about the weather for five minutes and I ask if they can still see banana bread," reports Rose via email.
In preparation, she received a written introduction and some behavioral tips.
The rest is human knowledge and empathy.
"Above all, the offer replaces everyday conversations," says Helen Gilburt from Kings Fund, a British think tank.
»The helpers have an open ear and refer to further support if necessary.
People in need can register for the offer themselves or be referred to by the doctor. "
For the Charité virologist Christian Drosten, the program is a role model that could also help in Germany to better reach isolated groups.
In a recent SPIEGEL interview, he said: "I think you can still achieve a lot."
Meanwhile there are offers of help for the helpers
But not all conversations are about bad weather and cake.
"The psychological counseling centers are currently overloaded, we notice that," says Abigail Rose.
"When it comes to thoughts of suicide, I refer you to the emergency number or a Samaritan psychological hotline." There is now a dedicated hotline for helpers - which is also run by volunteers.
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Prince William and Kate visit Batley elderly residents and volunteers to publicly promote the program
Photo: WPA Pool / Getty Images
Can't a system that swarms out such a large number of volunteers also be abused?
And doesn't the program actually invite you to take advantage of old and vulnerable people?
Warnings about fake hotlines are making the rounds, a private Twitter account is now collecting alleged fraudsters and exposing them publicly.
It is difficult to tell from the outside whether you are dealing with actual abuse or an overzealous online pillory.
The NHS health service points out that all users must be asked for registration data and identification documents.
In order to rule out abuse as early as possible, a police clearance certificate is required for certain tasks.
It seems clear that the program will probably be needed even longer.
Officially it will run until at least March, but it is unlikely that it will simply end.
"You could talk a lot about problems in our country," says Abigail Rose.
“But to be honest, I'm glad the program exists.
I like to listen.
The fact that we are not completely alone during this time makes it more bearable for everyone. "
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