New figures have shown that in the past year, volunteers have given 6.4 million hours to the NHS, in a wide range of tasks from interacting with patients to basic administration tasks.

Each year, around 70,000 volunteer with the NHS and spend an average of a fortnight helping the health service, with latest NHS England figures showing that 71,828 people volunteered in the last year.

London was the region with the most volunteers (14,072), followed by the Midlands (13,685), and the North East and Yorkshire (10.026).

Duncan Burton, chief nursing officer for England, said: “This Volunteers’ Week, we want to say a huge thank you to every one of our 70,000 volunteers who make such a valuable contribution to the NHS and its patients.

“There are so many different volunteering roles that people can take part in whether they’re old or young which can help you learn new skills, meet people, and even give you a taste of what it would be like to join our fantastic workforce.

“If you are interested in volunteering in the NHS, you can find out more information by visiting the NHS volunteering website and hear about opportunities near you.”