Impact
The Human Part is new. This page will grow as the programme does. For now, here's what we know, and what we're aiming for.
Why this matters
Patient loneliness isn't a secondary concern. The Campaign to End Loneliness found that social isolation in hospital is linked to longer stays, higher rates of delirium, greater risk of readmission, and worse mental health outcomes on discharge. A 2015 study in Perspectives in Public Health found that loneliness is associated with a 26% increase in mortality risk.
The NHS Long Term Plan recognises social prescribing and human connection as genuine health interventions, not luxuries. But recognition isn't the same as capacity. The structural reality of ward life, stretched nursing teams, short consultations, rapid patient turnover, leaves a gap that well-intentioned guidelines cannot fill on their own.
Volunteer companionship programmes have been shown to reduce patient anxiety, shorten perceived wait times, and improve overall experience scores. They also provide something harder to measure but just as real: dignity. The feeling of being a person and not just a case.
That's what The Human Part is here to deliver. The numbers on this page will tell that story as we grow.
"Perhaps hospitals could have volunteers whose only role is to talk to patients, just being there for human connection."
Eshan Sheikh, Founder, The Human Part CIC
What we track
We take reporting seriously, for our NHS partners and for ourselves.
Be part of it
Every volunteer, every NHS trust, and every patient visit moves these figures. If you want to be part of that, there's a place for you here.